LIFE STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 



DT 





Class _ini2Li. 
Book L ^ ^Yi 

CDFn«GHT DEPOSm 



LIFE STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 



LIFE STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


Translated from 


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GEORGE P. UPTON 


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AVID LIVINGSTONE 



Life Stories for Young People 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 



Translated from the German of 
Gustav rlieninger 

BY 

GEORGE P. UPTON 

Translator of ^'Memories,*' ^'Immensee,'^ etc. 



WITH FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 




CHICAGO 

A. C. McCLURG & CO. 

1912 



>''> 



Copyright 

A. C. McClurg & Co. 

1912 

Published September, 191 2 



THB*PLIMPTON*PRBSS 

[ W D • O] 
NORWOOD«MASS*U*S*A 



CCI.A319943 

•7^ C / 



Cratt0lator'0 i^reface 



IN the long and thrilling history of African ex- 
ploration, no name is more famous or con- 
spicuous than that of David Livingstone, 
"missionary, traveller, and philanthropist," as his 
memorial in Westminster Abbey characterizes him. 
He devoted thirty years of his life to the great task 
of evangelizing Africa, suppressing abuses, and abol- 
ishing the inhuman slave traffic; and endeared him- 
self to numerous tribes, which had never before seen 
a white man, by his kindness, his justice, his love of 
oeace, and his fair dealing. During his long career 
le travelled nearly thirty thousand miles in the 
.Dsivk Continent, demonstrated that thousands of 
miles of areas which had been regarded as desert 
were fertile lands, discovered five great lakes and 
numerous large rivers, and added immensely to 
the world's knowledge of Africa — its territory, 
geology, botany and zoology. In the pursuance of 
this life work no obstacles daunted him, no difficul- 
ties discouraged him. With iron will he adhered to 
the mission of philanthropy and scientific research, 
through years of suffering and pain, hunger and 
deprivations of every kind, and only yielded when 

Iv] 



TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE 

exhausted nature gave way at last and he was 
unable to move, or even be carried by his two faith- 
ful servants. Then, kneeling by his bedside in 
prayer for Africa, his soul passed away to his 
Master. His end was infinitely sad but sublimely 
heroic. As Addison says in "The Campaign": 

"Unbounded courage and compassion join'd, 
Tempering each other in the victor's mind, 
Alternately proclaim him good and great, 
And make the hero and the man complete." 

G. P. u. 

Chicago, May, 19 12. 



[vi] 



Contents 



Chapter Page 

I Early Years [i 8 13-1840] .... 11 
II First Seven Years in Africa [1841- 

1848] 16 

III Discovery of Lake 'Ngami [1849-1850] . 24 

IV In the Makololo Country [i 851-1852]. 29 
V From Kuruman to Linyanti [1853] . 36 

VI Up the Zambesi to the Liba [1853] . 40 
VII From the Liba to the West Coast 

[1854] 46 

VIII Return to Linyanti [i 854-1 855] . . 54 

IX From Linyanti to the East Coast 

[1855-1856] 60 

X In England [1856-1858] .... 72 
XI The Lower Zambesi and Kebrabasa 

Rapids [1858] 75 

XII Exploration of the Shire and Discov- 
ery OF Lake Shirwa [1859] ... 80 

XIII Back to the Makololo Country [i860] 87 

XIV Universities Mission and Lake Nyassa 

[1862-1863] 94 

[vii] 



CONTENTS 



Chapter Page 

XV From Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika 

[1866-1867] 104 

XVI Discovery of Lakes Moero and Ban- 

GWEOLO [1867-1869] 113 

XVII In the Manyuema Country [1869-1871] 121 

XVIII Stanley and Livingstone [1871-1872] . 127 

XIX Livingstone's Last Days [1872-1873] . 133 

Appendix 143 



[viiij 



Illnsitvations; 


David Livingstone 


Frontisj. 


)iece "^ 


Livingstone Attacked by a Lion . 


. 


i8^ 


The Native's Encounter with an Eleph 


ant . 


64/ 


Meeting of Stanley and Livingstone . 


. 


128^ 


Livingstone's Death 




138" 







[«] 



Babtti Eibtuijs^tone 



Chapter I 
Early Tears 

[1813-1840] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE was born March 
19, 1813, at Blantyre, a village on the banks 
of the Clyde, not far from Glasgow. His 
father, Neil Livingstone, was a tea dealer, a man 
of high character and blameless reputation, a stern 
disciplinarian, but delightful companion, who com- 
manded the affection as well as the respect of his 
family. In 18 10 he married Agnes Hunter, a 
slight, delicate little woman of the same deeply 
religious nature as his own, who performed her 
household tasks with care and industry and was 
a devoted mother to the five children spared to 
this worthy pair. There were three sons and two 
daughters, two sons having died in infancy. David 
seems to have been the family favorite and received 

[II] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

his early education at the village school. His par- 
ents were poor, and at the age of ten he was put to 
work in the cotton factory at Blantyre as a piecer. 
With a part of his first week's wages he bought a 
small Latin grammar and applied himself with 
great zeal to the study of that language at an evening 
class which was in session from eight to ten o'clock. 
Although obliged to work at the factory from six 
in the morning till eight at night, except for meal 
times, he would often study till midnight or even 
later, unless his mother took his books away and 
sent him to bed. In this way he acquired a good 
knowledge of the classics and eagerly devoured all 
the books that he could lay his hands on. Scien- 
tific works of all kinds interested him greatly, and 
he was especially fascinated with descriptions of 
travel, as told by missionaries. 

Inspired by these and by his early religious train- 
ing, David had early resolved to devote his life to 
the service of God, and in his twentieth year the 
complaints of a Chinese missionary, named Gutz- 
laff, over the lack of qualified laborers in this field, 
decided him to aspire to that office himself — a 
course of which his parents fully approved. The 
next step was to prepare himself for this difficult 
career, which he hoped to accomplish without help, 
by saving enough of his Summer earnings to cover 
the cost of his studies during the Winter. For the 
study of theology alone this would not have been 
so hard, but realizing the importance of a knowl- 

[12] 



EARLY YEARS 



edge of medicine in his future career, he was deter- 
mined to acquire that also — which would require 
the utmost economy and self-denial to accomplish. 

In the Autumn of 1836 he went with his father to 
Glasgow, where he finally succeeded in finding a 
comfortable room at half a crown a week. In April 
he returned to Blantyre and resumed work at the 
mill; but being unable to save enough for the sec- 
ond session, was obliged to borrow a little from his 
elder brother. This year he took up Greek and 
theology, but his chief study was medicine. While 
attending these classes he became quite intimate 
with a young medical assistant, James Young, in 
whose room the students were fond of gathering. 
He had there a carpenter's bench, turning lathe, and 
other conveniences for mechanical work, which 
interested Livingstone exceedingly, and by means 
of which he added greatly to his skill in the use of 
tools — a knowledge which proved of the highest 
service to him in Africa. Young afterward became 
a chemist and made a brilliant name for himself 
by the purification of petroleum, and Livingstone 
named after him a river which he supposed to be 
one of the sources of the Nile. 

During his second session in Glasgow, Living- 
stone wrote to the London Missionary Society, 
offering his services to them as a missionary. His 
application was accepted and in September, 1838, 
he was summoned to London to undergo an exami- 
nation. After passing it he was sent to Chipping 

[13I 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

Ongar in Essex for three months' probation with 
the Rev. Richard Cecil. He did not Hve with this 
clergyman, but went to his house for meals and tui- 
tion in theology and the classics — sharing a lodg- 
ing in the town with another student, Joseph Moore, 
whom he had already known in London. Together 
the two young men began the study of Hebrew, 
took long walks every day, and soon formed so close 
a friendship that Livingstone's parents used to call 
them David and Jonathan. At the end of his pro- 
bation, Livingstone returned to London and devoted 
himself especially to medical and scientific study. 
To acquire a practical knowledge of surgery and the 
treatment of disease he obtained admission to one 
of the hospitals, where he could have daily practice 
and where he gained a familiarity with the work 
that was of inestimable value to him in his after-life. 
Livingstone's meeting with Dr. Moffat, the South 
African missionary, then on a visit to London, first 
aroused in him the desire of being sent there himself. 
The Missionary Society readily agreed to this; but 
feeling that a medical diploma would be of use to 
him, he returned to Glasgow, where he obtained his 
degree in November, 1840. He had then only 
one night left to spend with his family in Blantyre, 
and there was so much to talk about, David suggested 
sitting up all night; but his mother would not hear 
of this. The next morning the family rose at five 
o'clock. His mother made the coffee, Livingstone 
read the 121st and i3Sth psalms and prayed. Then 

[14] 



EARLY YEARS 



followed a most affecting parting. His father 
walked with him to Glasgow, where he was to take 
the boat for Liverpool, and there on the landing 
place father and son looked upon each other for 
the last time on earth. 

No less a favorite during his life in London and 
Glasgow than in his own family, Livingstone had 
won the affection of a large circle of friends. Al- 
though he was by no means a handsome man and 
had a certain roughness or bluntness of manner, 
the simplicity and purity of his character, his mod- 
esty, frankness, and kindliness of nature won the 
hearts of all with whom he came in contact, while 
the strength of mind and purpose and the remark- 
able courage and endurance he afterward displayed 
in Africa surprised even those who knew him best. 



[15] 



Chapti 



er 



II 



First Seven Tears in Africa 
[1841-1848] 



LIVINGSTONE was ordained as a mission- 
ary in London, November 20, 1840, and sailed 
for South Africa, December 8. Arriving at 
Cape Town, after a three months' voyage, he pro- 
ceeded at once to Algoa Bay, and thence by wagon 
about a hundred and forty miles inland to the mis- 
sion station of Kuruman, in the Bechuana country. 
His first impressions of this place were most pleas- 
ing. It was the usual residence of Dr. Moffat, 
then still in England, whose many years of work 
among the natives had borne good fruit. The houses 
were of stone, surrounded by gardens filled with 
fruit trees, grapevines, grain, and vegetables of 
various kinds, and watered by a small stream which 
flowed through the village. 

But the young missionary was anxious to push 
still further northward, where there was a denser 
population, and found a new station of his own. 
For the purpose of discovering a suitable location, 
and at the same time becoming familiar with the 

[16] 



p 



FIRST SEVEN YEARS IN AFRICA 

1 country and the people, Livingstone, accompanied 
by a brother missionary, made a journey into the 
Bakwain country, where he was received with great 
kindness by the chief, Sechele. Achieving no satis- 
factory results, however, he made a second trip into 
the interior the following year (February, 1842), 
taking with him only four natives to look after the 
oxen and wagon. Cut off from all intercourse with 
Europeans, he spent six months learning the lan- 
guage of the Bakwains, as well as the laws and cus- 
toms of the, tribe — a knowledge which was to prove 
of inestimable value to him in his after-dealings with 
them. He was treated with great respect every- 
where by the natives, who listened attentively to 
all he told them of Christ and His teachings; but 
their conceptions of the Deity were most vague and 
conflicting. The name of God was often applied to 
their chiefs, and sometimes to Livingstone himself, 
to his horror. His medical skill greatly increased his 
influence with them, and his wagon was frequently 
surrounded by the sick and suffering, many of 
whom he was able to relieve. One chief insisted 
upon his giving him a medicine to change his sinful 
heart into a new one. 

On his way back to Kuruman, Livingstone selected 
a beautiful valley in the Bakhatla country, called 
Mabotsa, as a site for his proposed new station — 
the founding of which was authorized in a letter from 
the directors of the society, which he found await- 
ing him in Kuruman. Meeting another missionary 

[17] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

who was willing to assist him in the new under- 
taking, the two set out at the beginning of August, 
1843, and reached their destination after a fort- 
night's journey. Their first step was to secure the 
consent of the chief to the establishment of a mis- 
sion in his country. Having an eye to the beads, 
guns, and other desirable articles of which the 
white men always seemed to have an ample store, 
the chief and his men welcomed the two mission- 
aries most cordially. Livingstone next proceeded 
to purchase the necessary land and built a hut fifty 
by eighteen feet square. In this work they had little 
help from the Bakhatlas, but much from the native 
convert, Mebalwe, whom they had brought with 
them from Kuruman. This was to be their head- 
quarters and a basis of operations which were to 
extend to a number of inaccessible outlying villages. 
The region about Mabotsa was at that time in- 
fested with lions which made havoc with the natives' 
cattle, sometimes boldly attacking the herds in 
broad daylight. This was one drawback to the new 
location and was also the cause of an adventure 
which came near costing Livingstone his life. It is 
a well-known fact that if one lion is killed, the rest 
will leave the neighborhood; so, after a particularly 
bold attack, Livingstone urged the natives to go 
in pursuit of the robber and destroy him, while 
he and Mebalwe followed to watch the chase. The 
beast was discovered on a low wooded hill about 
which the natives formed a circle, gradually closing 

[18] 




L 



IVINGSTONE ATTACKED BY A LION 



FIRST SEVEN YEARS IN AFRICA 

in on him, Livingstone and his companion remain- 
ing below. Seeing the lion sitting on a rocky point, 
Mebalwe fired, but the bullet only struck the rock, 
whereupon with a roar the great beast sprang into 
the air, broke through the circle, and escaped unin- 
jured, no one venturing to attack him. As Living- 
stone was about to return home, suddenly two more 
lions appeared from the bushes close by. Both 
men fired and Livingstone was quickly reloading 
when he heard a shriek, and looking up saw one 
of the creatures about to spring upon him. The 
next instant he felt himself seized by the shoulder 
and was borne to the ground by the weight of the 
beast. Following is Livingstone's own account of 
the experience: 

"With his terrible roar sounding in my ear, the 
lion shook me as a dog does a rat; but strange to 
say, I felt neither pain nor fear, though fully con- 
scious of all that passed — a condition probably 
common to all victims of carnivorous animals. As 
I involuntarily turned to escape the weight of his 
paw which was resting on my head, I saw his eyes 
turn toward Mebalwe, who was about to fire. 
Unfortunately his gun missed fire in both barrels. 
Instantly the lion quitted his hold of me and leaped 
on Mebalwe, biting him badly in the thigh, then 
dashed at another man who was about to attack 
him with his spear. But at that moment the previ- 
ous shots he had received took effect and he dropped 
to the ground dead." 

[19] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

Livingstone's arm was badly fractured, besides 
being bitten in eleven places; but his surgical knowl- 
edge served him in good stead and the wounds 
slowly healed, though the splintered bone in heal- 
ing made a false joint, leaving him for life with a 
weakness in it that gave him much trouble. This 
painful experience was followed soon afterward by 
a new and most happy one. In the Summer of 
1 844 Livingstone became engaged to Mary Moffat, 
eldest daughter of the missionary at Kuruman, 
who, born in Africa and familiar with the duties 
of the life, proved a faithful and devoted wife, 
gifted with a winning manner and a ready helping 
hand that made her a most admirable assistant 
in the work so near Livingstone's heart. He built 
another small house at Mabotsa, the lower part of 
stone, the rest of wood, and laid out a pretty garden 
about it. When all was finished, the wedding was 
solemnized at Kuruman and Livingstone brought 
his bride to the new home. 

Together they now entered on their real work, 
which they pursued with vigor and enthusiasm in 
spite of the enormous difficulties that confronted 
them. The ignorant and superstitious natives 
showed little real interest in the new teachings, 
which many regarded with fear and hatred. The 
children had been told that they would be eaten by 
the white men, and it was very difficult to induce 
them to come to the school at all. To add to these 
discouragements, an unpleasantness occurred be- 

[20] 



FIRST SEVEN YEARS IN AFRICA 

tween Livingstone and his colleague which deeply 
wounded him. He was accused of acting unfairly 
by this man, who attempted to discredit him both 
among the missionaries and with the society. The 
situation was unbearable to Livingstone, and rather 
than have any conflict about it, he determined to 
give up the home and garden that had cost him so 
much toil and money and go elsewhere to found a 
new station — though he had spent all his money, 
and out of a salary of one hundred pounds it was not 
easy to build a house every other year. 

On some of his previous journeys he had become 
well acquainted with the Bakwains, one of the Bech- 
uana tribes, and both the chief and his people had 
expressed a strong wish that a missionary should 
reside among them. To this tribe Livingstone and 
his young wife now determined to transfer their ser- 
vices. The name of the new station was Chonuane. 
It was situated some forty miles from Mabotsa 
and in 1846 it became the centre of Livingstone's 
work among the Bakwains. Destitute of means, 
however, he was forced to apply to the directors 
in London for a building grant of thirty pounds, 
and both he and his wife had to endure the great- 
est hardships and privations. Sechele, chief of the 
Bakwains, was a man of superior intelligence, to 
whom Livingstone had been attracted at their first 
meeting. He had always shown a deep interest in 
the missionary's teachings, and whenever they met 
insisted upon having some chapters read aloud to 

[21] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

him from the Bible, parts of which Dr. Moffat had 
translated into the Bechuana language. Enraged 
at his countrymen's indifference to the truth of the 
Scriptures, he offered one day to convert them all 
to Christianity by the litupa (whips of rhinoceros 
hide), and was with difficulty dissuaded from doing 
so at once. 

But Livingstone's stay at Chonuane was of short 
duration. The very first year there occurred one 
of those terrible droughts to which even the most 
fertile districts of Africa are occasionally subject, 
and he advised Sechele to move to the neighbor- 
hood of some river where the surrounding land 
could be watered by means of canals. The chief 
willingly consented and the whole tribe was soon 
on the march to the River Kolobeng, about forty 
miles distant. Here the natives built their circular 
huts, a square one being constructed for the chief 
under Livingstone's direction. Canals were dug 
and did excellent service. For the mission house 
a small rocky eminence overlooking the Kolobeng 
was chosen, and from this the new station received 
its name. Sechele undertook the erection of a 
school, while Livingstone for the third time set 
about building himself a house with his own 
hands. His wife, too, did not lack occupation. 
She had to cook, sew, make soap and candles, 
and take care of her children, besides attending 
to all the duties that fell to her share as the wife of 
a missionary. 

[22] 



FIRST SEVEN YEARS IN AFRICA 

Divine services were for a time largely attended. 
The infant school, started by Mrs. Livingstone, 
became very popular and the natives refrained from 
hunting or working in the fields on Sunday. But 
Sechele was the only one who took Christianity 
seriously. In the Autumn of 1848 he was baptized 
at his own request and sent all his numerous wives 
back to their parents with handsome presents — a 
step which gave such offence to the friends and fam- 
ilies of these ladies that attendance at school and 
service dwindled to little more than the chief's own 
immediate family, although there was apparently 
no change in the friendly and respectful attitude of 
the people toward Livingstone himself. 



[23] 



Chapt^ 



er 



III 



Discovery of Lake 'N garni 
[1849- 1850] 



IT was no part of Livingstone's plan, however, 
to remain always with the Bakwains. The 
countless African tribes on whom no ray of the 
Gospel's light had ever fallen were constantly in his 
mind and he longed to be able to reach them. Sechele 
had told him of a great chief living north of Lake 
'Ngami named Sebituane, who was a man of remark- 
able ability and ruled over a large territory, having 
brought many neighboring tribes into subjection. 
Anxious to make the acquaintance of so influential 
a person, with whom he hoped to establish a new 
mission, and at the same time be the first white man 
to gaze on the waters of Lake 'Ngami, Livingstone 
determined to visit Sebituane. 

To accomplish this, however, it was necessary to 
cross the dreaded Kalahari desert, which lay between 
him and the lake. This was a vast sandy plain 
covered with tall grass, with occasional thickets of 
undergrowth and a few trees. In some spots 
gourds and watermelon patches were to be found, 

[24I 



DISCOVERY OF LAKE 'NGAMI 

but there were no streams or water of any kind except 
what could be obtained by digging holes in the sand 
where the few springs existed. The natives declared 
it would be impossible for any white man to cross 
this desert, for even they could safely do it only at 
certain seasons when much rain had fallen. But 
Livingstone was not to be daunted by these diffi- 
culties and began his preparations for the journey 
at once. Messengers had already arrived from Lech- 
ulatebe, chief of the lake people, asking him to visit 
their country and giving glowing descriptions of the 
amount of ivory to be obtained there; so Living- 
stone had no difficulty in obtaining Bakwain guides 
for the expedition. 

It would have been better had he started earlier, 
for then he would have found pools of rain water in 
places, but the two English friends, Oswell and 
Murray, who wished to accompany him did not 
reach Kolobeng till the last of May. On the first 
of June, 1849, the party set out into this unknown 
country, passing not through the middle of the 
desert, but along its northeast border. The first 
stations, from one spring to another, were reached 
without trouble, but as they turned northward the 
dangers and difficulties of the journey soon made 
themselves felt. Progress was very slow, owing to 
the deep sand through which the oxen could scarcely 
pull the heavy wagons; the heat was intense and 
water became more and more scarce. 

Toward the end of June, however, they reached 

[25] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

an old riverbed, along which green grass was grow- 
ing, and water was more plentiful. Not knowing 
that they had come only about half the distance, 
the travellers now began to look for 'Ngami, and one 
day it seemed that they had reached it, for Oswell, 
who was a little in advance, suddenly discovered 
through an opening in the trees what seemed a large 
and beautiful expanse of water. Not doubting that 
it was the lake, he flung up his hat and uttered 
a shout of joy. But it proved only an illusion — 
a wonderful mirage caused by the reflection of the 
sun on an old salt basin, the waters of which had 
dried out, leaving a bed of sparkling salt crystals. 
The effect was so deceptive that even the animals 
ran toward it, but the illusion soon vanished. The 
real lake was still three hundred miles away, and 
not till August was this fine sheet of water beheld 
for the first time by Europeans. It was so large 
that they could not see the farther shore and could 
only guess its size from the reports of the natives 
that it took three days to go around it. The sur- 
rounding country was thickly wooded and abounded 
in game and fish of all kinds. 

Near the outlet of the Zouga River was the village 
of Lechulatebe. Livingstone was much disap- 
pointed in this chief, whose reception by no means 
corresponded with what his urgent invitation had 
implied. Fearing that Livingstone might supply 
Sebituane with firearms, thereby making him a 
still more dangerous neighbor, he refused to supply 

[26] 



DISCOVERY OF LAKE 'NGAMI 

the party with guides and sent some of his men 
out to prevent their crossing the river. Indignant 
at being balked in this way, Livingstone worked 
many hours in the water trying to make a raft out 
of some rotten wood. ^'I was not aware at the 
time," he says, ''that the Zouga abounded in alli- 
gators; but looking back afterward to that work, 
I thanked God by whose mercy I was saved from 
their jaws." 

The season now being far advanced, it was decided 
to return to Kolobeng, and Oswell volunteered to 
go down to the Cape and bring back a boat for the 
proposed expedition the following year. Returning 
along the Zouga, Livingstone had a better opportu- 
nity of observing the wonderful beauty and fertility 
of the country. Gigantic trees lined the banks on 
both sides, while elephants and antelopes were seen 
in herds. 

Livingstone's discoveries, not only of Lake 'Ngami, 
but also of the Zouga and Tamanak'le rivers, which 
form a navigable highway to the territory north- 
ward, caused great excitement at the Cape, and all 
over the world, and the explorer was voted a sum 
of twenty-five pounds by the Royal Geographical 
Society in recognition of his services to science. 

In April, 1850, Livingstone set out from Kolobeng 
in another attempt to reach Sebituane's country, 
this time accompanied by his family, also by Sechele, 
Mebalwe, and twenty Bakwains. The party suc- 
ceeded in reaching Lechulatebe's village safely, 

[27] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

where Livingstone had intended to leave his family 
while he made his journey northward. But the plan 
was upset by an outbreak of fever, two of his own 
children being attacked, which forced him to go home 
as quickly as possible. Soon after their return to 
Kolobeng, Livingstone and his wife were rejoiced by 
the birth of their first daughter, who lived only a few 
weeks, however, to the great grief of the parents. 
Mrs. Livingstone herself had a severe illness, accom- 
panied by paralysis of the right side of the face, and 
as she needed rest and care, the family went to stay 
for a time at Kuruman. 

Livingstone's active mind was now busy with a 
new and great idea. It was plain that the country 
about Lake 'Ngami was not habitable by Europeans 
and that if that part of Africa were ever to be chris- 
tianized it must be done by native agency. But 
Livingstone was convinced that there must be a 
higher and therefore healthier region farther north, 
where it would be possible to found new stations. 
The abolition of the terrible slave trade had already 
become a master passion with him, but this could 
only be accomplished by the establishment of a 
legitimate traffic by which the Africans could be 
encouraged to exchange their native products, 
instead of human beings, for whatever European 
goods they desired. The purpose that dominated 
him now, therefore, was to find a waterway from 
Central Africa to the sea, either on the east or west 
coast. 

[28] 



Chapter IV 

Into the Makololo Country 
[1851-1852I 



IN April, 1852, Livingstone made a third attempt 
to reach Sebituane, the great chief of the Mako- 
lolos, as his people were called, that being the 
first step toward the execution of his great plan. He 
was again accompanied by Oswell and also by his 
family, whom he dared not leave in Kolobeng, owing 
to the danger of a threatened attack from the Boers. 
This time they turned away from the Zouga directly 
north, passing through a flat country well watered 
by a chain of springs and inhabited by a tribe of 
friendly Bushmen, tall, well-formed people, very 
different from the dwarfed yellow Bushmen of the 
Kalahari desert. One of these agreed to guide the 
party across the desert to Sebituane's country — 
a month's journey, he declared. 

"Indescribably desolate," says Livingstone, "was 
this region. There was no vegetation of any kind 
except low shrubs, not a bird or insect to break the 
stillness." To add to their troubles, the guide lost his 
way and they were absolutely without water for four 

[29I 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

days. Livingstone's anxiety and the fear of seeing 
his children perish before his eyes may be imagined; 
but on the afternoon of the fifth day some of the men 
whom he had sent out in search of water returned with 
a supply of the precious fluid, "the value of which," 
he says, "we had never before appreciated." 

The next day the caravan reached a Banayoa 
village, where a capable guide was procured, and after 
crossing the Souta River finally arrived at the Chobe, 
which formed the boundary of Sebituane's domains. 
The Makololos, whom Livingstone here encoun- 
tered for the first time, were greatly pleased at 
sight of the white men and at once took Living- 
stone and Oswell in boats to their chief who was 
some four miles down the river. Sebituane received 
them with great kindness, making them presents of 
food and oxen and placing everything of his at their 
disposal. He proved to be a man of about forty- 
five years, with a calm, thoughtful expression and 
more frank and outspoken than the Africans 
with whom Livingstone had hitherto had deal- 
ings. He was unquestionably the greatest man in 
all that part of the country, and like Livingstone 
himself, had the art of gaining the affections of all 
with whom he came in contact, while his liberality 
and his kindness to the poor caused his praises to 
be sounded far and wide. He had been most 
anxious to have intercourse with the white man 
and offered Livingstone his choice of a location for 
a mission station; but this was not to be. 

[30] 



INTO THE MAKOLOLO COUNTRY 

Sebituane was present at the first service held 
by Livingstone after his arrival, and it was the only 
time he ever heard the Gospel preached; for the 
next day he was seized with inflammation of the 
lungs and died after a fortnight's illness. Living- 
stone was much affected by Sebituane's death. 
He had become much attached to this remarkable 
man with whom even in so short a time he had 
felt a real sense of brotherhood, and he also saw a 
great blow to his hopes in the loss of so influen- 
tial a friend among the natives. The chief had 
appointed as his successor, his daughter Ma-moch- 
isane, who lived at some distance. A message soon 
came from her granting the white men full liberty 
to visit any portion of her domains, upon receipt 
of which Livingstone and Oswell proceeded some 
thirty miles northward, and towards the last of 
June were rewarded by the sight of a magniflcent 
stream. This river, called there the Sesheke, proved 
to be the Zambesi, which was not supposed to be in 
that region, its source being believed to be much 
farther south. This discovery, therefore, was of 
immense importance geographically, although the 
swampy condition of the land and the prevalence 
of fever made the country unsuitable for European 
occupation. Livingstone was reluctantly forced, 
therefore, to abandon his cherished project of 
founding a mission station in this populous dis- 
trict, and bidding farewell to the Makololos, he set 
out for Kolobeng, August 13. On the way Mrs. 

[31] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

Livingstone gave birth to a son, who was named 
for their friend and benefactor, William Oswell; 
and Thomas, the oldest son, had several attacks of 
fever — delays which made the journey a long and 
tedious one. Livingstone was devoted to his fam- 
ily and the period of separation from them that 
now seemed inevitable cost him a bitter pang; but 
it had become the dream of his soul to carry the 
Gospel into the heart of the Dark Continent and 
he felt that no sacrifice could be too great for such 
an end. To accomplish this work long journeys of 
exploration must be made on which it would be 
impossible for his family to accompany him. The 
education of his children was also to be considered, 
so it was decided that they should go back to Eng- 
land with their mother, Livingstone accompanying 
them to Cape Town to have an operation performed 
on his throat, and if possible have something done 
for his lame arm. 

When they arrived at civilization again, after 
eleven years' absence, Livingstone's attire had gone 
out of fashion and the costumes of the whole party 
were somewhat of the Robinson Crusoe style. Nor 
were his finances in any better condition, although 
he had reduced his personal expenses to the lowest 
possible figure and economized in every way. The 
salary granted him was clearly insufficient, and he 
wrote to the society, urging the directors to supply 
him with means to carry out the work he had 
planned. Meanwhile Oswell came to his aid and 

[321 



INTO THE MAKOLOLO COUNTRY 

advanced him the sum of two hundred pounds, 
declaring that Livingstone had as good a right as 
himself to a share of the profits drawn from "his 
estates" — meaning ivory. 

On the twenty-third of April, Livingstone placed 
his wife and four children on a vessel leaving for Eng- 
land, hoping to see them again in two years, though 
it was actually five before they were reunited. After 
being relieved of his troublesome throat affection, 
and having completed his preparations — not with- 
out difficulty — he set out early in June, 1852, on 
what was to prove a long journey. He travelled 
in the usual manner of the country with a heavy 
wagon drawn by oxen, the party consisting of two 
native Christians from Kuruman, who had proved 
faithful servants, two Bakwains, and two Kolo- 
beng women who had had the care of his children 
and were now returning home. Progress was slow, 
for Livingstone had been too poor to buy service- 
able oxen, and his good-nature in taking packages 
for everybody had resulted in his wagon having 
nearly double the usual load. Owing to this and 
other misadventures it was the last of August before 
he reached Kuruman, where a broken wheel detained 
him for another fortnight. 

Unwelcome as these delays were, they were prob- 
ably the means of saving his life, for just at this 
time the Boers attacked Kolobeng and were busy 
with the work of death and destruction. Had Liv- 
ingstone reached there earlier, as he intended, he 

[33] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

would probably have been killed, or at least robbed 
of all that he had with him, thereby putting an end 
to his projected journey. 

News of the disaster was brought to Kuruman by 
Sechele's wife, Masabele, who had escaped with 
one of her children after hiding in the rocks during 
the attack. Sechele and his men had defended 
themselves bravely, holding out till nightfall, when 
they succeeded in escaping to the mountains. But 
the town had been sacked, all their grain burned 
and their cattle stolen, while sixty of the Bakwains 
had been killed in battle, and more than two hun- 
dred women and children carried off into slavery. 
In their fury the Boers had pillaged Livingstone's 
house and demolished or taken away everything in 
it, and what grieved him more than all, had torn the 
leaves out of his precious books by handfuls, leav- 
ing them scattered about everywhere. 

The country was so unsettled that for a long time 
Livingstone could get no guides to go with him to 
the north, but at length three men were prevailed 
upon to undertake the journey and he set out from 
Kuruman November 20, in company with George 
Fleming, a trader from the West Indies, who was 
anxious to visit the Makololos. A short distance 
out they met Sechele, who was on his way, as he 
declared, to the Queen of England to seek repara- 
tion for his wrongs, one of his wives and two chil- 
dren having been carried off by the Boers. He 
actually did go as far as the Cape, but without sue- 

[34] 



INTO THE MAKOLOLO COUNTRY 

ceeding in his mission. Returning home he became 
a sort of missionary himself among his own people, 
the gaps in whose ranks were soon filled by large 
numbers from other tribes attracted to his leader- 
ship by the brave stand he had made against the 
Boers. 

Livingstone would have liked to go to Kolobeng 
and see with his own eyes the destruction wrought 
there, as well as to visit once more the grave of 
his infant daughter, Elizabeth; but hearing that the 
Boers were still in the neighborhood and anxious to 
get him into their power, he took a new course 
more to the westward, in order to give them a wide 
berth. 



l3S] 



Chapter V 

From Kuruman to Linyanti 

[1853] 



A HALT of five days was made with the 
Bakwains, and on January 15, 1853, Liv- 
ingstone and his party once more resumed 
their journey — a slow and toilsome march through 
desert and swamp — cutting their way through 
almost impenetrable thickets and travelling for days 
across land that was overflowed sometimes to a 
depth of three or four feet. On March 10 an out- 
break of fever caused another halt, Livingstone and a 
young boy being the only ones who escaped illness. 
While the boy took care of the oxen, Livingstone 
tended the sick, also making several expeditions 
with the Bushmen of that region in search of zebras 
or bufi'aloes. 

The Bechuanans, not being a very energetic 
race, seemed in no hurry to recover, and Living- 
stone, impatient at the delay, finally made beds in 
the wagons for those who were weakest and con- 
tinued the journey slowly. Finding frequent change 
of scene and air beneficial to the invalids, he kept 

[36] 



FROM KURUMAN TO LINYANTI 

on the march as much as possible, though it involved 
extra labor on his own part. After working all 
one day cutting a pathway with his axe, Livingstone 
was rewarded by the discovery of a large open space 
covered with grapevines full of fruit — the first 
he had seen in Africa. The grapes were found 
to be very sour, though the Bushmen ate them, 
and elephants are extremely fond both of the fruit 
and of the vines themselves. 

A wide detour had to be made at Lurilopepe to 
avoid the tsetse fly, which had made such havoc 
with the oxen the preceding year. This insect, 
resembling somewhat our common fly, is a veritable 
scourge in many parts of Africa, its bite being fatal 
to cattle, dogs, and horses, and, as has been proved 
in recent years, the cause of the deadly "sleeping 
sickness " in men. 

At length the party came in sight of the NgVa 
hills — a welcome relief after weeks of travel over 
a perfectly flat country. To the north the Kan- 
dehi valley, as it is called, offered a most charming 
prospect, surrounded as it was by huge trees of vari- 
ous kinds and traversed by a picturesque winding 
stream. At one side a herd of antelope was graz- 
ing; beyond stood a group of gnus and zebras. 
Some buffaloes turned their black faces to gaze at 
the travellers in surprise, while from the far end a 
huge white rhinoceros advanced with clumsy tread 
— the whole making a perfect picture of African 
natural history. 

[37] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

Proceeding northward, the march led through a 
beautiful wooded region, ending at a fine sheet of 
water bordered with an impenetrable wall of rushes 
— which proved to be the Chobe River. After a 
cold damp night spent near the shore, Livingstone 
and his companions started on an early tour of 
exploration and finally discovered a huge ant hill 
on the bank, by crossing which they were able to 
reach the water. Their pontoon boat was unloaded 
from the wagon and in this they ventured out upon 
the river, at this point some two or three hundred 
feet wide. As they pushed off", a huge hippopotamus 
rose to the surface. They had passed directly 
over him, but the waves caused by his movements 
carried the pontoon quickly away from his dangerous 
proximity. All day they rowed on, seeing nothing 
but a solid wall of reeds on either side, and had about 
made up their minds that they would have to spend 
the night in their little craft, when just before dark 
they discovered a village on the north bank. The 
inhabitants gazed with awe and astonishment at 
these mysterious strangers, who seemed to have 
dropped from the clouds; but Livingstone had met 
the chief on a former visit to this region and they 
readily agreed to go back and fetch the wagons 
across the river in their boats. 

The travellers were now in the Makololo country 
among friends, and on May 23 arrived at their capi- 
tal, Linyanti — the entire population of six or seven 
thousand pouring out to witness the white man's 

[38I 



FROM KURUMAN TO LINYANTI 

arrival. Livingstone found that a change had taken 
place in the government of the tribe, Ma-mochisane, 
the daughter of Sebituane, having resigned the 
chieftainship to her brother Sekeletu, a youth of 
eighteen years. The new chief had neither the im- 
posing appearance nor the ability of his father, but 
showed the same friendly spirit toward Livingstone, 
to the latter's great relief. 

The travellers were well lodged and supplied with 
plenty of good food, but in spite of all this attention 
a week after his arrival Livingstone was seized with an 
attack of fever for the first time during his stay in 
Africa. Hoping that the natives might possess some 
remedy for this disease more effective than those 
known to Europeans, he allowed himself to be treated 
by one of Sekeletu's physicians; but after being 
nearly suffocated by the smoke of burning herbs 
and boiled in a steam bath, he concluded that his 
own remedies were preferable. 

Livingstone would have been glad to found a 
station in Linyanti, where he was treated with such 
friendship and respect, but it was out of the ques- 
tion to think of bringing his family where fever was 
so prevalent — the air being filled at certain seasons 
with poisonous vapors from the surrounding marshes. 
He therefore determined to explore the Barotse 
country, still farther north, in search of a more 
healthful spot for his settlement. 



[39] 



Chapti 



er 



VI 



Up the Zambesi to the Liba 

[1853] 



AFTER a month's stay in Linyanti, Living- 
stone resumed his journey, Sekeletu, with 
L about a hundred and fifty of his people, 
insisting on accompanying him, with a flotilla of 
thirty-three boats. In these they made quick prog- 
ress up the Chobe and soon reached the beautiful 
river called by the Barotse the Liambai, but also 
known in different parts of its course as Luambesi, 
Ambezi, and Zambesi, all of which mean "great 
river.'' Livingstone was deeply interested in this 
hitherto unknown stream, which was dotted with 
islands, thickly wooded like its banks. Farther on 
they encountered rapids and waterfalls, beyond 
which the forest receded on both sides, leaving an 
open plain about forty miles wide, through which 
the river wound slowly between rushy banks. This 
was the valley of the Barotse, conquered by the 
Makololos, its principal village being called Naliele. 
The soil is wonderfully fertile, owing to the annual 
overflow of the river, like that of the Nile, and fish 

[401 



UP THE ZAMBESI TO THE LIBA 

and game abound; but here too it was unhealthy, 
owing to the decaying vegetation left by the reced- 
ing waters. Loath to abandon his plan, Living- 
stone continued on as far as the junction of the Liba 
River with the Zambesi, but in vain. The few local- 
ities that were free from fever he found infested with 
the tsetse, near which it is impossible for Europeans 
to live. 

Having thus failed in the first object of his expe- 
dition, Livingstone resolved to attempt the second 
and try to discover a highway to the sea, on the 
west coast if possible. Returning to Linyanti, 
therefore, he began at once to prepare for this new 
journey. Sekeletu was much interested in this 
plan, the success of which would mean much to his 
people, their opportunities for trade being small. 
He chose twenty-seven of his men to accompany 
the explorer. The Kuruman guides, who were 
still suffering from the effects of fever, were sent 
home with Fleming. Instead of taking the route 
usually travelled by slave traders to Benguela, the 
nearest point on the west coast, Livingstone pre- 
ferred to try a new one, following the Zambesi and 
Liba rivers as far as the falls, and thence by land 
to St. Paul de Loanda, his objective point. As the 
latter part of the journey must be made on foot, 
supplies were limited to the barest necessities. 
Besides five guns with ammunition for himself and 
his companions, these consisted only of a trifling 
amount of zwieback, tea, coffee, and sugar, twenty 

[41] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

pounds of beads, a small tin box containing clothes, 
Livingstone's astronomical instruments, medicines, 
and a few books, deprivation of the latter being his 
worst trial. Added to these was a small magic lan- 
tern which proved of great use in his intercourse 
with the natives. 

On November 1 1, 1853, at the beginning of the cool 
rainy season, Livingstone set out from Linyanti on 
what was to prove the most difficult and dangerous 
expedition he had yet undertaken. In his journal 
he gives a vivid picture of his daily life during this 
river journey. 

"We rise a little before five," he says, "when it is 
daylight. While I am dressing, the coffee is made, 
and after I have filled my little pot, I leave the rest 
for my companions, who eagerly swallow the refresh- 
ing drink. Meanwhile the servants are busy loading 
the boats, which done, we embark. The next two 
hours, while the men row swiftly onward, are the 
pleasantest of the whole day. About eleven we 
land and eat our luncheon, which consists of what 
is left from supper the evening before, or zwieback 
with honey and water. After resting for an hour 
we enter the boats again and take our places under 
an umbrella. The heat is oppressive, and as I am 
still weak from my recent attack of fever, I cannot 
go ashore and hunt. The rowers, who are exposed 
to the sun without cover, drip with sweat and begin 
to tire by afternoon. We often reach a suitable 
spot to spend the night, two hours before sundown, 

[42] 



UP THE ZAMBESI TO THE LIBA 

and as we are all tired, we gladly make a halt. As 
soon as we are ashore the men cut grass for my bed 
and poles for the tent. The bed is then made, the 
boxes with our supplies piled on each side of it, 
and lastly the tent is stretched above. Four or 
fivp paces in front of it a huge fire is lighted, beside 
which each man has his own place, according to the 
rank he occupies. Two of the Makololos are always 
at my right and left both in eating and sleeping, 
while Machuana, my head boatman, lies down be- 
fore the door of my tent as soon as I go to bed. A 
space beyond the fire is staked out for the cattle in 
the shape of a horseshoe. The evening meal con- 
sists of coffee and zwieback, or bread made from 
maize and Kaffir corn, unless we are lucky enough 
to shoot something to supply us with a pot of meat. 
We go to bed soon after, and silence descends upon 
the camp. On moonlight nights the fire is allowed 
to go out." 

On December 9 Naliele was reached, and here 
Livingstone had another attack of fever, which 
greatly weakened him. The rains had now begun, 
adding greatly to the travellers' discomfort, for the 
heat was still intense. Continuing up the Zambesi, 
they arrived two weeks later at its junction with 
the Liba and entered a new region — the great 
Lunda district, inhabited by a negro tribe called the 
Balundas. Livingstone was the first white man 
who had ever entered their country and his appear- 
ance caused the greatest excitement. His skin, 

[43] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

it is true, was burned by the tropical sun to the 
brownish yellow of the Makololos, but his hair and 
clothing were novel enough to the Balundas. They 
insisted it was not his real hair, but the mane of a 
lion made into a wig, such as they manufactured 
for themselves from the fibre of the ironwood tree, 
dyed black and plaited to resemble their own woolly 
mass. 

Being on unfriendly terms with the Makololos, 
they were disposed to regard Livingstone and his 
party with suspicion, but on his assurance that he 
came on an errand of peace, he was granted a for- 
mal audience by the chief, who happened to be a 
woman, named Nyomoana. She and her husband, 
who did not share her rank, received the white man, 
seated on lionskins, on a slight elevation surrounded 
by a circle of her people, men, women, and children. 
Laying down his gun, Livingstone stepped inside 
this circle and saluted, according to the custom of 
the country, by clapping his hands, whereupon a 
mat was brought on which he seated himself, facing 
the chief. A conference followed, one of his men 
who understood the language acting as interpreter. 
Livingstone explained that he had come by God's 
command to teach His word to all His people and 
begged the Balundas to forget their enmity toward 
the Makololos and live at peace with them in future. 
Nyomoana received this speech graciously and 
begged the white man to allow himself to be con- 
ducted to her brother Kabompo, a great chief who 

[441 



UP THE ZAMBESI TO THE LIBA 

lived at some distance inland. Livingstone would 
have preferred to continue his journey by water 
but on being told that there was a large waterfall 
nearby, across which it would be impossible to take 
the boats, also that the west bank of the river was 
inhabited by a hostile tribe who would not allow them 
to pass, he reluctantly yielded, and Manenko, a 
daughter of the chief, offered to guide them to her 
uncle's village. 



[451 



Chapter VII 

From the Liba to the West Coast 

[1854] 

ON the morning of January 11, 1854, they set 
out, escorted by a large body of natives, and 
after crossing the Liba, advanced rapidly 
through densely wooded country, passing occasional 
villages, with horrible idols, till they reached a forest 
through which a pathway had to be cut with axes. 
For the first two days the rain fell incessantly, in spite 
of various charms and incantations practised by the 
Balundas to drive it away. It was impossible to dry 
any clothing, and Livingstone suffered from repeated 
attacks of intermittent fever. There was no longer 
any game to be found and food became painfully 
scarce. At length, however, on reaching a village in 
Kabompo's territory, Manenko halted to send word to 
the chief of their approach, and here the natives sup- 
plied them with an abundance of sweet potatoes and 
green maize, while Manenko prepared a meal for 
Livingstone with her own hands. The weather was 
now fine, so their clothes could be dried in the sun — 
a great blessing after a three days' march in the 
pouring rain. 

[46I 



FROM LIBA TO THE WEST COAST 

Messengers soon arrived from the chief, bidding 
Livingstone welcome to his country and expressing 
his pleasure at the idea of being able to open trade 
with the white men. A short march now brought 
the travellers to a charming valley, intersected by a 
small stream, on the banks of which stood the vil- 
lage of Kabompo, or Shinte, as he preferred to be 
called. Here Livingstone found what he had not 
yet seen in any of the Bechuana tribes — streets laid 
out and square huts with circular roofs, each in an en- 
closure planted with tobacco, sugar cane, and bananas, 
and shaded by tall trees. Livingstone was received 
by the chief seated in state under a banana tree on 
a sort of throne covered with leopard skins. He 
wore a jacket and apron of scarlet cloth, bordered 
with green. Many strings of beads hung about his 
neck and his legs and arms were adorned with 
bands of iron and copper. On his head was a cap 
like a helmet, made of beads and surmounted by 
a huge tuft of goose feathers. Livingstone seated 
himself at a short distance with his companions, 
while his spokesman, Manenko's husband, walked 
up and down before the chief, proclaiming in a loud 
voice all he had been told of the white man and 
his mission. Nine other speakers then held forth, 
their discourse interspersed by the doleful chanting 
of about a hundred women seated in the background 
dressed in scarlet cloth, after which Shinte rose to 
indicate that the audience was at an end. 

The next day Livingstone had a long interview 

[47] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

with the chief, whom he found a man about fifty-five 
years of age, with a frank, intelligent face and pleas- 
ing manner. He had been a great friend of Sebituane 
and looked upon Sekeletu almost as his own son. 
A large calabash full of fat, sent him as a present by 
the latter, with some elephant tusks, pleased him 
greatly, as he owned no cattle. Livingstone gave 
him an ox, urging him to purchase some from the Ma- 
kololos, and raise his own, the land about there being 
well adapted for grazing — advice which Shinte after- 
ward followed, as Livingstone found on his return 
from Loanda. The chief showed the greatest interest 
in all Livingstone's plans, urging him constantly to 
remain longer, and when at last the day of depart- 
ure came, he hung a string of beads about his guest's 
neck as a token of friendship, parting from him even 
then with the greatest reluctance. He had already 
furnished an ample supply of provisions for the 
journey, with eight extra men as guides and bearers. 
On crossing the Liba, which was the boundary 
of Shinte's domain, the travellers found themselves 
on a broad grassy plain which was flooded by the 
heavy rains to a depth of several inches in some 
places. A species of lotus was in full bloom, and 
on small elevations, looking like islands, grew a few 
stunted trees. Crawfish and river turtles were seen 
in great numbers. Farther to the north, numerous 
small tributaries of the Liba had to be forded and 
the travellers would often be wet throughout the 
whole day. Sometimes only the heads of the 

[48] 



FROM LIBA TO THE WEST COAST 

oxen would be above the surface of the water, and 
Livingstone, who was riding on one of the animals, 
says the only way he could keep his watch dry was 
to carry it in his armpit. 

Towards the middle of February they reached the 
village of another chief, called Katema, who also 
received them kindly, supplied them with food, and 
offered to send some of his men to show them a new 
and better route northward, which had never been 
used by any but natives. In return Livingstone 
presented him with a razor, three strings of beads, 
some buttons, and a powder horn, all of which greatly 
delighted him. 

From here the march led past the narrow end of 
Lake Dilolo and across another broad inundated 
plain, which Livingstone to his great surprise found 
to be the watershed between the north and south — 
all the streams he had hitherto encountered flowing 
to the south, while from here on they flowed toward 
the north. The character of the country now began 
to change, as well as the behavior of the inhabitants, 
on whom the neighboring Portuguese colony and the 
frequent presence of slave traders had exerted a bad 
influence. It was no longer a question of gifts or 
of hospitality. Even permission to pass must be 
paid for, and the natives were far from modest in 
their demands. They were especially eager for gun- 
powder and cloth, but Livingstone had none of the 
latter and dared not part with any of his precious 
ammunition. No game was to be found in this part 

[49] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

of the country and the travellers were actually in 
danger of starving. As they advanced, the chiefs 
became more and more extortionate, and in the Chi- 
boque country it required all Livingstone's presence 
of mind to avert bloodshed. 

At one village where they stopped to rest over 
Sunday their supply of food was absolutely exhausted 
and it became necessary to kill an ox, part of which, 
according to custom, was sent to the chief Nyambi. 
The next morning he sent an impudent message 
demanding more valuable presents, and receiving a 
refusal, surrounded the camp with his warriors 
yelling and brandishing their spears. One young 
man was about to attack Livingstone from the rear, 
but turning quickly the explorer pointed his gun at 
the savage, who quickly retreated. A fight seemed 
inevitable; but convinced that with his well-trained 
Makololos he could repulse a force double their 
number, and anxious at all costs to avoid blood- 
shed, he warned the Chiboques that if it came to a 
conflict they must bear the blame in God's sight; for 
himself, he only wished to go upon his way in peace. 
Then he sat silent, gazing with apparent calm- 
ness at the wild scene about him. It was an 
anxious moment, but his tactics were successful. 
The chief and his counsellors showed no desire to 
pursue hostilities, and after a brief conference they 
spoke: "You come to us a stranger of a strange race, 
and say you are our friend. How are we to know 
this.'^ Give us an ox of which we may both eat. 

[so] 



FROM LIBA TO THE WEST COAST 

Then we shall be friends and you shall have what 
you desire of us." At the urgent request of his 
people, Livingstone complied with this demand, 
receiving in return a few pounds of the meat and 
one small basket of vegetables. 

One week later Livingstone had another sharp 
attack of fever, but as soon as he was able to leave 
his bed he insisted upon continuing the journey, 
although the rain was falling in torrents. For fear 
of ambush they marched in close ranks and no one 
was allowed to lag behind. Hour after hour they 
went on in gloomy silence through the dense jungle, 
the oxen often becoming entangled in creepers, which 
it was impossible to avoid in the darkness, and which 
pulled their riders to the ground. As if this were not 
enough, Livingstone's animal, Sinbad, once started 
off on a mad gallop, the bridle broke, and Living- 
stone was thrown off backwards, striking heavily 
on his head. "To be sure," he says, "this violent 
treatment rather seemed to improve than make my 
general condition worse, but nevertheless I would not 
recommend it to others as a cure for fever! This 
wretched disease had pursued me so relentlessly 
of late that I was reduced almost to a skeleton." 

With all the rest of his troubles, his people became 
so disheartened that many of them were ready to 
turn back, and Livingstone was greatly distressed 
for fear he would be obliged to abandon his enter- 
prise on the very eve of success. After exhausting 
all his powers of persuasion, he declared that if they 

[SI] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

left him he would go on alone, and then retired to 
his tent to seek help in prayer. Soon after, one of 
the Makololos thrust his head inside the tent and 
said: "Do not despair, master! We will never for- 
sake thee. We are thy children and are ready to 
die for thee. Where thou goest we will follow." 

Thus enabled to proceed, Livingstone and his 
faithful companions made their way slowly across 
the great plateau and on March 20 reached the edge, 
where it sloped abruptly down to the great valley 
of the Quango River. From the height where they 
stood the descent was so steep that they were obliged 
to dismount, and Livingstone had to be supported 
in order to escape falling headfirst, so great was his 
weakness. At the bank of the river, which at that 
time formed the eastern boundary of Portuguese 
territory, a halt was made, and the next problem 
was how to cross to the west bank. As payment for 
the use of their boats, the natives demanded either 
a man, an ox, or a gun. To propitiate them the 
poor Makololos had given up their last copper orna- 
ment, and Livingstone had made up his mind to 
part with his only blanket on reaching the opposite 
bank, when a young Portuguese sergeant, Cypriano 
de Abrao, appeared on the scene and the party were 
allowed to pass. Once on the other shore they were 
in the Bangola country, also called Cassange, which 
had been conquered by the Portuguese, and was no 
longer in danger from border tribes. 

There was still a distance of some sixty or seventy 

[52] 



FROM LIBA TO THE WEST COAST 

miles to be traversed, however, before reaching the 
coast, and Livingstone was so weak and emaciated 
from repeated attacks of fever that he could scarcely 
stand. In this condition the kind reception given 
him by the Portuguese officials and merchants was 
especially grateful. At Ambaca he was hospitably 
cared for by the commandant, Arsenio de Carpo, 
by whose advice he drank a glass of wine, the first 
he had taken since his twentieth year. On leaving, 
the commandant supplied him with food enough to 
last till the next station was reached, and sent two 
militiamen with him as guides. As they neared 
the coast the scenery became more and more wild 
and picturesque, especially through the mountain- 
ous region of Golungo Alto, and on May 31 they 
came in sight of the ocean. Filled with awe and 
amazement, Livingstone's companions gazed at the 
limitless expanse and expressed the fear that they 
should starve in a place where there was nothing 
but water. Livingstone himself was too ill and weak 
and too anxious as to his own reception at Loanda 
— a town of twelve thousand inhabitants, where he 
was quite unknown and probably the only English- 
man in the place — to reassure them. 



[S3l 



Chapter VIII 
Return to Linyanti 

[1854-1855] 



LIVINGSTONE'S doubts as to his reception 
at Loanda were soon set at rest. Edmund 
Gabriel, the British commissioner for the 
suppression of the slave trade, welcomed the ex- 
plorer most cordially and did everything possible 
for his comfort. He had sent a message to Living- 
stone at Cassange, inviting him to his house, 
but in some way the messenger had missed the 
party. "Seeing how ill I was," says Livingstone, 
"he gave up his own room to me, and never shall 
I forget the sensation of lying once more in an 
English bed after sleeping on the ground for six 
long months." 

Livingstone had intended to remain only a short 
time in Loanda, but soon after his arrival he was 
prostrated by another severe illness, brought on by 
the fatigues and exposures of the journey, through 
which Gabriel nursed him with most devoted care. 
Several prominent Portuguese gentlemen visited 
him during his convalescence and showed him every 

[54] 



RETURN TO LINYANTI 

attention in their power, the Bishop of Angola, 
then acting governor of the province, sending his 
secretary to offer the services of the government 
physician. A British cruiser engaged in the sup- 
pression of the slave trade was then in the harbor, 
and the officers tried to persuade Livingstone to go 
back to England with them; but tempting as this 
offer was, he declined. The men who had come 
with him from the Barotse country had to get home, 
and he knew that without him they would never 
be able to make the journey. Moreover, he had not 
yet accomplished his purpose. He had found no 
healthful location for a mission station, nor any good 
highway to the sea from Sekeletu's country. The 
Zambesi might furnish a better route to the east 
coast, and he determined to return to Linyanti, 
setting out again from there on another search. 

Under the care of Gabriel and the English naval 
surgeon his health improved rapidly, and by June 
14 he was able to return the Bishop's visit, attended 
by his faithful companions, dressed in the new suits 
of striped woollen cloth and red caps given them by 
Gabriel. The Bishop received the travellers in the 
great hall of the palace and asked many questions 
concerning the Makololos, whose earnest desire for 
knowledge and intelligent interest in all the 
wonders of this new world in which they found 
themselves had made an excellent impression. The 
two-story buildings filled them with wonder, and 
still greater was their amazement when Livingstone 

[55] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

took them on board the English cruiser. At first 
they were inclined to be afraid of the sailors, but on 
being assured by their master that these were all 
countrymen of his who had been sent by the Queen 
to suppress the slave trade, they lost their fear 
and mingled freely with them, sharing their dinner 
and examining every part of the ship. They were 
deeply impressed by the respect shown by both 
officers and men toward Livingstone, whom they 
henceforth regarded with the deepest reverence. 

Livingstone's plans for opening the interior of 
South Africa met with so lively a response from the 
government and the merchants of Loanda that a 
sum was raised to purchase gifts to be sent to the 
Makololos, in order to encourage them to trade freely 
with the coast. These consisted of a full colonel's 
uniform and a horse, saddle, and bridle for the 
chief himself, with cloth suits and blankets for each 
of Livingstone's men. The merchants also sent 
samples of their various wares and a pair of don- 
keys, these useful animals not being aff'ected by the 
bite of the tsetse. Livingstone was provided with 
a good supply of cloth, beads, and ammunition, 
each of his men being given a musket, besides 
having letters to the authorities in the Portuguese 
districts through which he passed, ordering them 
to render him all possible assistance. His naval 
friends also presented him with a fine new tent, 
while twenty additional bearers were furnished by 
the Bishop to carry this extra load. 

[56] 



RETURN TO LINYANTI 

Thus equipped, Livingstone and his party left 
Loanda, September 20, 1854, accompanied for some 
distance by Gabriel, who had been like a brother to 
him during the whole of his stay there. Restored 
in mind and body, the explorer was now able to 
observe both the country and the people more 
closely than before, and his journals are full of admi- 
ration of the wonderful beauty of the scenery. Owing 
to sickness and various delays, the return journey 
took longer than the previous one, but the party 
was now better armed and did not encounter so 
much opposition. When after many adventures and 
mishaps they finally reached Sesheke in the Barotse 
country, Livingstone, to his great joy, found a box of 
goods and comforts sent him by the Moffats a year 
before. The natives, fearing it was bewitched, had 
placed it on an island in the middle of the river, 
built a hut over it to protect it from the weather, 
and there Livingstone found it in good condition — 
a year later! It was long since he had had word of 
any kind from his family. To his bitter disappoint- 
ment there had been no letters for him at Loanda, 
the probability of his reaching the west coast having 
seemed small to his friends in England. In the box, 
however, was a letter from Mrs. Moffat, explain- 
ing in true motherly fashion about the contents 
— white shirts, blue waistcoat, woollen socks, lemon 
juice, marmalade, tea, coffee, etc. Livingstone's 
long absence and the lack of news from him had 
caused great anxiety to his friends, and in 1854 

[57] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

Dr. Moffat had undertaken a visit to Mosiiikatse, 
chief of the Matabele, in the hope of hearing from 
him, and had left the box there, to be sent to the 
Makololos to await his return. 

In due time the party reached Linyanti, where 
Livingstone found his wagon and the other things 
he had left there, safe and in good condition. Their 
arrival was hailed with joy, the whole population 
assembling for a thanksgiving service, after which 
Livingstone presented the gifts sent from Loanda 
and ordered his companions to give a true account 
of all they had seen there, the wonders of which 
lost nothing in the telling. The presents were 
received with great delight, and when Sekeletu 
appeared at service the following Sunday in his uni- 
form, he excited far more attention than the ser- 
mon. He at once made arrangements for a party 
of Makololos to join an Arab caravan with a load of 
ivory for the west coast, that they might learn how 
to bargain, and actually made the journey to Loanda 
himself later on. 

All this time Livingstone had been making care- 
ful observations to determine his exact positions, 
which he had forwarded regularly to his friend Mac- 
lear, the Astronomer Royal at Cape Town, for 
verification and correction. As the first European 
to traverse that part of Africa, he had solved a 
great problem and made a discovery of the great- 
est importance; namely, that what had hitherto 
been considered a desert waste was a magnificent 

[58] 



RETURN TO LINYANTI 

well-watered plateau, surrounded by picturesque 
ranges of hills, a fertile country of surpassing beauty 
of scenery. In acknowledgment of these services to 
science, the Royal Geographical Society paid him 
the highest honor at their command by awarding 
him their gold medal in May, 1855. 



[59] 



Chapt\ 



er 



IX 



From Linyanti to the East Coast 

[1855- 1856] 

A FTER a careful consultation with the Mako- 
ZJV lolos as to the various routes possible, 
X JL Livingstone decided to follow the Zambesi 
— though the most difficult and beset by hostile 
tribes — because that seemed the most likely to 
fulfil his desire of finding a commercial highway to 
the coast. Sekeletu provided him with an escort 
of one hundred and twenty men, chiefly Batokas, 
through whose country he had to pass, twelve oxen, 
stores of food, and the right to levy tribute upon all 
his subject tribes. 

On November 3 the expedition started, escorted 
by the chief and two hundred of his warriors as far 
as Sesheke. Here the caravan separated, part of 
it proceeding up the river in boats, while the rest 
followed along the bank with the cattle. Taking a 
northeasterly course, they passed through a beauti- 
ful region, inhabited by the Batoka. Owing to the 
presence of the tsetse, the first two stations had to 
be made by night, when the flies do not swarm, 

[60] 



LINYANTI TO THE EAST COAST 

although Livingstone preferred to go on in the day- 
time, leaving some of the natives to follow with the 
oxen after dark. The constant perspiring caused 
by walking in the hot sun made him very thin, 
but he cheerfully bore the discomfort for the sake 
of seeing the country through which they passed. 
The land rose gradually until a plateau was reached 

— part of the high land which surrounds the inte- 
rior basin of Central Africa. Here tall forests 
alternated with grassy plains, suggesting the region 
about Lunda and Angola, and the natives were 
lighter in color than those of the lower valleys. 
After a time the forests ended and the travellers 
entered an open, undulating country, quite unin- 
habited, forming a sort of borderland between the 
Batoka tribes, who acknowledged the supremacy of 
the Makololos, and those who were hostile. Sebi- 
tuane had once settled here on account of the health- 
fulness of the climate and wonderful fertility of the 
soil, and it had already been described to Livingstone 
as a sort of paradise. Game of all sorts abounded 

— buffaloes, eland, antelopes, gnus, and elephants — 
and lions roared about the camp at night; but as 
the moon shone bright, there was nothing to fear 
from them. 

On December 4 the first of the hostile Batoka 
villages was reached, and doubtful as to their recep- 
tion, the party spent the night in expectation of 
an attack. None occurred, however, although the 
next morning bands of armed natives surrounded 

[61] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

the caravan as it was passing through a forest; but 
they allowed it to pass unmolested. Beyond these 
border villages the natives were again friendly and 
seemed much pleased at seeing a white man for the 
first time, especially one who brought them pres- 
ents and a message of peace. They were called 
Batongas. The women were much more fully clothed 
than those of the Lunda, but the men were entirely 
naked and in both sexes the upper front teeth were 
missing, this being considered a mark of beauty. 
Their form of salutation was most singular. Roll- 
ing on the ground and striking themselves on the 
thigh expressed thanks or greeting. 

From here the scenery became wilder and more 
picturesque, a succession of deep, fertile valleys 
opening before the travellers, intersected by numer- 
ous streams and filled with game. Halting in one 
of these one day, Livingstone had gone off by him- 
self to take some observations, when in the distance 
he discovered an elephant calf rolling and playing 
in the mud, while the mother fanned it with her 
huge ears. While he was watching them through 
his glass, a long line of his people appeared from the 
other side of the valley and Sekwebu, their leader, 
came up to him to explain that they were anxious 
that "the father" should see what great hunters 
his children were. Livingstone accordingly climbed 
to a higher point to obtain a good view of the pro- 
ceedings, while the poor elephant mother, uncon- 
scious of the approach of enemies, stood quietly 

[62] 



LINYANTI TO THE EAST COAST 

suckling her calf, which must have been about two 
years old. The natives now began to whistle and 
shout, to attract the attention of the beast, who, 
roused by the outcry, placed herself between her 
calf and the threatened danger, looking from it to 
the yelling natives as if divided between anxiety to 
protect her young and desire to punish the insolence 
of her persecutors, slowly retreating meanwhile to 
the far end of the valley. The natives followed 
at a distance of some hundred paces until the ani- 
mals reached the middle of a stream, when they 
crowded on the bank and began hurling their spears 
at them. Livingstone sent Sekwebu with orders 
to spare the calf, but before he could reach the 
hunters it had already been killed. Wounded and 
bleeding, the old elephant turned at last, trumpeting 
with rage, and made a furious attack on her pursuers; 
but they stepped nimbly out of her way, and after 
three or four of these charges, she dropped to her 
knees, weak from loss of blood, and in a moment 
rolled over dead. It was some time before Living- 
stone recovered from the painful impression caused 
by this scene, and he especially lamented not having 
been able to save the life of the calf. 

On December i8 they reached the Kafue River, 
which here is shut in by high hills on both sides, 
forming a deep ravine. Semalembue, a friendly chief, 
at whose village they spent the night, guided them 
to a ford and transported them to the other shore in 
his canoes. As Livingstone was anxious to reach 

[63] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

the Zambesi again, he determined to cross the inter- 
vening ridge, a hard three days' climb, but on gaining 
the summit he was rewarded by a magnificent view. 
Below them the Kafue wound across a wooded plain 
to its junction with the Zambesi, beyond which 
stretched a chain of rugged hills. On descending 
into this valley they found it covered with a dense 
growth of some broad-leaved plant, while elephants 
and buffaloes were so thick that the men had to utter 
loud yells to drive them out of their path. One of 
the buffaloes was shot, the meat being very palatable. 
Waterfowls of all sorts were also abundant. When, 
after many delays caused by almost incessant rains, 
they reached the Zambesi, they found it even wider 
here than above the Victoria Falls. The water was 
a dark brownish red and the current very swift, 
bearing along quantities of reeds, brush, and trunks 
of trees. Following the left bank, ranges of hills 
soon appeared on both sides, running parallel with 
the stream, at a distance of about three miles. 
The country north of the river was inhabited by the 
Batongas; that to the south by the Banyais. The 
vegetation along the banks was wonderfully lux- 
uriant, and the undergrowth so dense that it could 
scarcely be penetrated. As the natives preferred 
to travel by water, few game trails were found, but 
the inhabitants were friendly and Livingstone knew 
so well how to deal with them that he had no diffi- 
culty in obtaining either guides or provisions. Thus 
far all had gone well, but as the travellers advanced 

[64] 




A 



NATIVE ENCOUNTER WITH AN ELEPHANT 



LINYANTI TO THE EAST COAST 

farther to the east, the natives began to show un- 
mistakable signs of hostility, and Livingstone soon 
discovered that all sorts of reports were in circulation 
among them concerning his party. They had suffered 
much from the visits of Portuguese slave traders and 
suspected these strangers to have come on the same 
errand, in spite of all their protestations to the con- 
trary. The real dangers of the journey now began, 
for beyond, the country was full of hostile tribes and 
no one could foresee the outcome. 

The junction of the Loangwa with the Zambesi 
was reached January 14, 1856. A crowd of armed 
natives were assembled on the bank of the Loangwa 
and their behavior caused Livingstone much anxiety, 
but he calmly made his preparations for spending 
the night as usual and retired after resigning himself 
to the care of the Almighty, his chief regret being 
that if he were killed the next day, his discovery of 
the two healthful longitudinal ridges as centres for 
the evangelizing and civilization of Central Africa 
would be lost to the world. 

Near the camp were the ruins of an old Portu- 
guese settlement, which Livingstone afterward 
learned had borne the name of Zumbo. Among the 
ruined houses, built of stone and overgrown with 
trees, he found the remains of a church with a broken 
bell bearing the Jesuit symbol. The walls of a 
small fort were also visible. The spot was admi- 
rably adapted to trade, but the natives would or 
could not tell why it had been abandoned. 

[65] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

The following morning large bodies of armed sav- 
ages collected about the camp, although no attempt 
was made to molest the travellers. ^^They would 
lend us only one canoe,'^ says Livingstone, "though 
we saw two tied to the bank, and the part of the river 
where we crossed, about a mile from the conflu- 
ence, is a good mile broad. We transported all our 
goods first, to an island in the middle, then the cattle 
and men, I being the last to enter the canoe. We 
had by this means an opportunity of helping each 
other in case of attack. They stood armed, at my 
back, for some time. I then showed them my 
watch, burning glass, etc., and kept them amused till 
all were over. I thanked them for all their kind- 
ness and wished them peace." 

Two or three days after this adventure, as the 
caravan was following along the Zambesi, Living- 
stone to his delight spied a man in jacket and hat 
rowing toward the shore from an island in the middle 
of the river. It proved to be a black from the Portu- 
guese settlement, Tette, which he informed them was 
on the other bank of the river. He also declared 
that the Portuguese had been at war with the natives 
in these parts for two years and advised Livingstone 
to cross without delay, as he was approaching the 
domains of the much dreaded Mpende. Having 
been already warned against this chief, Livingstone 
would gladly have followed his advice, but the man 
refused to lend his boat for fear of angering this 
mighty lord of the river, nor could he obtain any 
[66] 



LINYANTI TO THE EAST COAST 

help from the natives he met, for the same reason. 
There was nothing for it, therefore, but to remain on 
the left bank and take his chance as to the outcome. 

The caravan reached Mpende's village January 
22, and early the next morning a party of his people 
came close to their camp, uttering strange cries and 
waving some red object toward it. They then lighted 
a fire, into which charms were cast to render the stran- 
gers powerless, and probably also to terrify them. 
From earliest dawn armed bands had been gather- 
ing from all quarters, evidently with hostile intent; 
but as to retreat would have been as dangerous as 
to advance, Livingstone determined to wait, trust- 
ing in God, who had brought him safely through 
so many perils. Moreover, he had little doubt 
that in case of attack his own people would prove 
victorious, for none of the Zambesi tribes can equal 
the Makololos as warriors, and they were anxious 
for a fight, not only to show their prowess, but also 
to obtain a fresh supply of food and clothing, of 
which they were sadly in need after their long wan- 
derings in the rain and through thorny undergrowth. 

After a long period of suspense two old men came 
forward and asked who the strangers were. When 
told that Livingstone was a Lekoa — that is, an Eng- 
lishman — they said, "We know of no tribe of that 
name. We think you are a Bazunga, with whom 
we are at war." Livingstone showed them his hair 
and the skin on his breast, asking if the Bazunga 
were like that. As the Portuguese usually wore 

[67] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

their hair short and were much darker in color, 
they then looked doubtful and returned to the vil- 
lage, where a long conference took place between 
Mpende and his counsellors, the result of which was 
that the strangers were to be allowed to depart in 
peace. As soon as Livingstone, heard this, he sent 
Sekwebu to arrange for the purchase of a boat, 
and the next morning the whole party was safely 
landed on the right bank of the Zambesi, greatly 
to the relief of Livingstone, who sent Mpende one 
of his two spoons and a shirt as a proof of his 
gratitude. 

Incessant rains now forced the travellers to stop 
for days at a time or limit themselves to short 
marches, but it was a fertile region, and thanks to 
their agreement with Mpende, they were well re- 
ceived everywhere and amply provided with food. 
The Zambesi, as well as its tributaries, having also 
begun to overflow its banks, making progress ex- 
tremely difficult, Livingstone determined to leave 
that river altogether and strike off in a southeasterly 
direction, particularly as he had heard that several 
chiefs farther down would demand heavy tribute 
for allowing them to pass. The Banyais, in whose 
territory they now were, were most friendly, and in 
spite of their superstition, not inaccessible to reli- 
gious teaching. They worshipped their dead chiefs 
and relatives, and the idea of invoking God seemed 
strange to them, but they listened respectfully to 
Livingstone when he prayed in their presence. 
[68] 



LINYANTI TO THE EAST COAST 

Although the travellers were now nearing the 
Portuguese settlements, game of all sorts became 
more and more abundant. The natives refused to 
kill any lions, believing them to be tenanted by the 
souls of their dead chiefs; in consequence of which 
superstition these beasts were so numerous that 
small huts were frequently built up in the trees for 
the natives to sleep in when obliged to spend the 
night away from their villages. The chiefs here 
were so exorbitant in their demands that Livingstone, 
who had almost nothing left to give them, avoided all 
villages during the latter part of the journey, he and 
his companions living on what they could find in 
the forest. 

The road to Tette now led through a very rough 
and rocky region, where progress was almost impos- 
sible, and on March 2 Livingstone was so exhausted 
that he ordered a halt at the Portuguese boundary 
and sent on his letter from the Bishop of Angola to 
the commandant at Tette. About two o'clock the 
next morning he was awakened by the arrival of 
two officers with a company of soldiers to escort 
him thither. They brought with them all the 
requisites for a good English breakfast, which the 
half-starved explorer declared was the best he had 
ever eaten, and which so revived him that he was 
able to walk the remaining eight miles of the jour- 
ney without fatigue, although the road was so rough 
that, as one of the Portuguese soldiers declared, "it 
was enough to tear a man's soul out of his body." 

[69] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

Situated on the south bank of the Zambesi, Tette 
at that time consisted of some thirty houses, built 
of stone with thatched roofs, a church, and a small 
fort, besides about twelve hundred native huts, 
most of which were outside the high wall surround- 
ing the place. Except for the garrison, there were 
only a handful of Portuguese inhabitants. It had 
once been a thriving settlement, producing large 
quantities of maize, coffee, sugar, oil, and indigo, 
besides gold dust and ivory, but the natives had 
gradually been carried oif into slavery and constant 
warfare with neighboring tribes had completed the 
work of ruin. The commandant. Major Sicard, 
welcomed Livingstone most cordially and did every- 
thing in his power to make him comfortable. Weeks 
of hard travel in the heat and rain, together with 
the lack of proper food, had made the explorer so 
terribly emaciated that Sicard urged him to remain 
there and rest for a time, especially as March was 
one of the most unhealthful months. Livingstone 
spent a month therefore in Tette, exploring the sur- 
rounding country, at the end of which time he deter- 
mined to continue his journey. The worthy major 
supplied him with four boats and a generous amount 
of provisions. He also sent a company of soldiers 
under Lieutenant Miranda to accompany him to the 
coast and gave him letters to friends at Quilimane, 
begging them to treat the explorer as if it were 
himself. 

Full of gratitude to his kind benefactor. Living- 

[70] 



LINYANTI TO THE EAST COAST 

stone left Tette on April 22 and resumed his jour- 
ney down the Zambesi, the rocky heights on either 
hand gradually giving place to a flat, densely wooded 
region. Here the river became so wide that often 
neither shore could be seen, and soon the delta was 
reached, where it separates into five outlets. At 
Mazaro the boats had to be abandoned, owing to 
some stoppage in the stream, and a distance of 
three miles was made on foot. Livingstone was 
then suffering from another attack of fever, and this 
walk under a burning sun made him so much worse 
that his condition became alarming. At Interra, 
however, he was provided by the commandant, 
Asevedo, with a large sailboat having a cabin in 
the stern, where he could be protected from the 
innumerable mosquitoes. Livingstone had himself 
carried on board at once, and on this comfortable 
craft he finished his journey, reaching Quilimane 
May 26. Colonel Nunes received the explorer 
most kindly, entertaining him at his own house, 
and here, to his great relief, Livingstone found a 
letter from Admiral Trotter, informing him of the 
welfare of his wife and family, of whom he had heard 
nothing for more than a year. 



171I 



Chapter X 

In England 
[1856-1858] 



LIVINGSTONE remained for six weeks in 
Quilimane, slowly recovering his strength, 
at the end of which time the English brig 
Frolic arrived, bringing him one hundred and fifty- 
pounds from the agent of the Missionary Society 
in Cape Town to defray his passage to England. 
He sailed at once and on December 9, 1856, reached 
home, where he found himself already famous. 
After a visit with his family at Southampton, where 
they had gone to meet him, he returned to London 
and delivered a series of lectures describing his 
travels and discoveries, the importance of which 
was everywhere acknowledged and excited the great- 
est enthusiasm. The explorer was overwhelmed 
with honors, and soon after his arrival was granted 
a private interview with the Queen in the presence 
of some of the Royal Family. 

During Livingstone's stay in England an impor- 
tant change took place in his relations with the Mis- 
sionary Society. He had already written from 

172] 



IN ENGLAND 



I 



Africa suggesting that a chain of mission stations 
should be established along the Zambesi, which would 
provide a quick and easy route for trade between 
the Portuguese settlements and the coast. At that 
time the directors felt that they would be unable to 
supply the means to carry out such a plan, but after 
conversing with the explorer personally, they became 
much interested in the enterprise and would gladly 
have had him continue to work for them in his own 
way. In the special mission of exploration and 
inquiry to which he felt himself called, however, 
Livingstone was afraid that his freedom would be 
restricted if he remained in the service of the Soci- 
ety. Contributors to the Society also might object 
that it was departing from the proper sphere of a 
missionary organization and withdraw their support. 
Unwilling, therefore, to be receiving the pay of a 
working missionary while engaged so largely in 
scientific exploration, he resigned all official connec- 
tion with the Society. 

Other means were soon provided, however, for the 
execution of his plan, which was to return to Africa 
as soon as possible and continue his exploration of 
the interior of the continent, especially that region 
bordering the Zambesi and its tributaries which 
he had found so admirably suited for trade and 
missionary work. In February, 1858, Livingstone 
received a formal commission, signed by Lord Clar- 
endon, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, appointing him 
Her Majesty's Consul at Quilimane for the east 

[73] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

coast and the independent districts of the interior, 
and commander of an expedition for exploring 
Eastern and Central Africa. 

Livingstone accepted the appointment and began 
to busy himself at once with arrangements for the 
expedition. A paddle steamer of light draught was 
purchased for the navigation of the Zambesi, and the 
various members of the party received their appoint- 
ments. These were six in number: Commander 
Bedingfield, R.N., naval officer; Dr. John Kirk, 
botanist and physician; Charles Livingstone, brother 
of the explorer, general assistant and secretary; 
Richard Thornton, practical geologist; Thomas 
Baines, artist and storekeeper, and George Rae, 
ship engineer. These and all who might afterward 
join the expedition were sworn to obey the direc- 
tions of Dr. Livingstone as their leader. 

Lord Clarendon lent every aid in the prepara- 
tions for the journey. "Come to me," he told Liv- 
ingstone, "for whatever you need, and I will see 
that you have it." He also wrote an official letter 
to the chief, Sekeletu, thanking him in the name of 
the Queen for his kindness to her servant. Dr. Liv- 
ingstone, and explaining the desire of the British 
nation, as a Christian and commercial people, to 
live at peace with all and to do good to all; telling 
him how the slave trade was abhorred, and ending 
with the hope that Sekeletu would help to keep the 
Zambesi, "God's highway," open as a free pathway 
for all nations. 

t74] 



Chapt^ 



er 



XI 



The Lower Zambesi and Kebrabasa Rapids 

[1858J 

THE expedition of which Livingstone was 
now the head left England March 10, 
1858, on the royal colonial steamer Pearl. 
The explorer was also accompanied by his wife and 
youngest son, Oswell, who were to go on to the Cape, 
and after remaining at Kuruman for a time, join 
him later on the Zambesi. At Sierra Leone a crew 
of twelve Kroomen was engaged and taken on board 
for the navigation of the steam launch, brought from 
England in three sections, to be used in the explora- 
tion of the Zambesi and its tributaries. 

The delta was reached May 14, and after unloading 
and setting up the Ma-Robert, as she was called — 
that being Mrs. Livingstone's African name — the 
party started on their journey, escorted by the Pearl. 
Of the four mouths of the Zambesi, the Kongone 
was chosen as the best for navigation. Five miles 
up the river they came to a short natural canal 
leading directly into the main channel of the Zambesi. 

175] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

The banks of the Kongone were lined with mangrove 
swamps, with occasional tree ferns and wild date 
palms, but these soon gave place to a broad, level 
plain covered with tall grass growing higher than 
a man's head. Rice was cultivated in profusion, 
also several kinds of European vegetables, with 
some cotton and sugar cane. The few natives who 
appeared were mostly Portuguese slaves and showed 
no fear of the white man, but stood in groups on the 
shore gazing in astonishment at the strange craft. 
At the island of Simbo the Pearl was compelled to 
turn back on account of her draught and the stores 
for the expedition were unloaded and carried ashore. 
During this process an unfortunate disagreement 
occurred with the commander of the Ma-Robert, 
who tendered his resignation. At first Livingstone 
declined to accept it, but as Bedingfield insisted, 
he finally yielded and the officer departed on the 
Pearl. Livingstone was much annoyed at this afi'air, 
but calmly took command of the ship, adding this 
charge to his already numerous occupations. The 
ease with which the explorer could assume new 
duties and perform them as if he had always been 
accustomed to them was one of the most remarkable 
things about the man. 

The Ma-Roberty which had promised so well at 
first, soon proved a great disappointment. The 
boiler was badly constructed. Her consumption of 
fuel was enormous. She snorted so horribly that 
she was christened "The Asthmatic/' and with all 

[76] 



THE LOWER ZAMBESI 

this she made so little progress that canoes could 
easily pass her. Owing to this and the difficulty of 
finding the right channel among so many islands 
and sand bars, it was not till September 8 that 
Tette was finally reached. Leaving the Ma-Robert 
anchored in midstream, Livingstone went ashore in 
a small boat and was hailed with ecstasies by his 
faithful Makololos, whom he had left here to await 
his return. He was again welcomed most heartily 
by Major Sicard, who entertained the whole party 
at his own house. As the Makololos had found ways 
of maintaining themselves at Tette, Livingstone was 
not obliged to take them back to their homes immedi- 
ately, and he determined first of all to discover how 
far the navigability of the Zambesi was impeded 
by the rapids at Kebrabasa, some thirty or forty 
miles above Tette, of which he had often heard, but 
had not seen on his way from Linyanti to Quilimane. 
This seemed an easy matter, but in reality pre- 
sented such difficulties as only his courage and 
perseverance could have overcome. The high, cone- 
shaped peaks of the Kebrabasa range rose directly 
from the bed of the river, confining it to a narrow 
gorge through which the stream boiled and eddied 
over jagged masses of rock. At high water these 
rapids disappear and the surface is quite smooth, 
but at this season the stream ran at the bottom of a 
deep channel often not more than one hundred and 
fifty feet wide. 

The Ma-Robert was anchored at some distance 

[77] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

below the rapids, and the next day, November 
25, Livingstone with some of his countrymen, a 
guide, and twelve Makololos as bearers, set out on 
foot up the left bank to visit the rapids. It was a 
fine morning, and for a time the hills protected them 
from the burning rays of the sun, but it soon rose 
above them. The travellers had to toil through 
soft, yielding sand and over huge rocks so hot that 
even the thick soles of the Makololos' feet were 
blistered, and some of the new members of the expe- 
dition became so exhausted that only a few miles 
could be covered in a day. After several days of 
this they reached the foot of a mountain range, 
beyond which the guide declared the river was 
quite smooth and navigable. They accordingly 
turned back, but that night two natives who came 
into camp assured Livingstone that there was a 
waterfall farther up called Morunbroa. Deter- 
mined to find if this were true, he retraced his steps, 
Dr. Kirk and three Makololos accompanying him, 
and after an exhausting march did discover these 
falls. 

A second visit to the rapids during the rainy 
season convinced the party that they might be 
navigable when the river was at full flood, the rocks 
showing a rise of fully seventy-five feet in places. 
But as the Ma-Robertj with her single engine of ten 
horse-power, could never force her way through the 
Kebrabasa at high water, Livingstone, in a detailed 
report of his explorations thus far, applied to the 

[78] 



I 



THE LOWER ZAMBESI 

government for a vessel of higher power. In case 
this should be refused, he determined to get one at 
his own expense, and wrote to a friend in England 
authorizing him to use for that purpose two thousand 
pounds from the profits on his book. 



[79] 



Chapter XII 

Exploration of the Shire and Discovery of 
Lake Shirwa 

[1859] 



WHILE awaiting an answer to his applica- 
tion, Livingstone resolved to explore the 
Shire, which flows into the Zambesi from 
the north between Senna and Mazaro — a river 
hitherto absolutely unknown. All that he had 
been able to learn about it from his friends in Tette 
was that the year before a Portuguese expedition 
had attempted to ascend it and was driven back 
by the poisoned arrows of the Manganjas, a warlike 
tribe inhabiting that region. Undaunted by these 
reports, he started up the Zambesi in January, 1859, 
and entered the Shire just above Senna. For some 
distance the banks were swampy and the sur- 
face of the water covered with floating masses of 
duckweed, but it did not interfere with their prog- 
ress, and soon disappeared entirely. 

As the Ma-Robert neared the first village, a band 
of fully five hundred natives, armed with bows and 

[80] 



I 



EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY 

poisoned arrows, were assembled on the bank, and 
the chief, a tall, gray-haired man, ordered the trav- 
ellers to halt. Livingstone went ashore at once, and 
approaching the chief, who was called Tingane, 
explained that he and his companions were English- 
men who had come to find a way by which his coun- 
trymen could trade with the natives for cotton or 
whatever they had to sell, but not for slaves. On 
hearing this Tingane became friendly at once, and 
after a long conversation with the white man they 
parted on the best of terms. 

It was most interesting to the explorers to follow 
the windings of this unknown river. In its lower 
portion it was about ten feet deep, becoming even 
shallower higher up, but as there were no sand 
bars it was easily navigated. After ascending it for 
some thirty miles, reckoning in a straight line, their 
further progress was stopped by rapids, to which 
Livingstone gave the name of "Murchison Cata- 
racts.'^ As the suspicious attitude of the natives 
as well as unfavorable weather made it unadvisable 
to continue the journey by land, the expedition 
returned to Tette. 

Two months later Livingstone made a second 
trip up the Shire, the natives now being most friendly 
and keeping the travellers well supplied with rice, 
fowl, and corn. With one chief in particular, 
named Chibisa, whose village was situated some two 
miles below the falls, Livingstone established the 
most cordial relations. From here he set out on 

[8i] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

foot with Dr. Kirk and fifteen Makololos in search 
of Lake Shirwa, and on April i8 discovered this 
beautiful sheet of water, on whose shores no white 
man had ever before set foot. Its surface was 
dotted with islands. A thick border of reeds and 
papyrus plants edged its shores, and the deep, 
slightly salt waters abounded with crocodiles, hip- 
popotami, fish of various kinds, and leeches, the 
last named being so numerous that some of the 
party who attempted to wade out to a sand bank 
were forced to beat a hasty retreat. The width of 
the lake was estimated to be about twenty miles, 
its length perhaps four times as much, and the 
natives declared that on the north it was separated 
only by an isthmus from a much larger lake. 

^'The country about Shirwa is very beautiful,'^ 
writes Livingstone. "All about the lake are high 
mountains, one of the peaks, called Zomba, rising 
more than six thousand feet above sea level. Most 
of the inhabitants of this highland region were 
afraid of us. The women ran into their huts and 
shut the doors. The children shrieked with terror, 
and even the hens would fly away at our approach." 
After spending two nights on the shores of Lake 
Shirwa, Livingstone and his companions returned 
to Tette, and after repairing their decrepit old ves- 
sel, sailed down to Kongone harbor to get a fresh 
supply of provisions from an English brig which was 
due there on her way to the Cape. The twelve 
Kroomen, who had proved of little use, were shipped 

[82] 



EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY 

on this vessel and replaced by Makololos; two mem- 
bers of the expedition, Baines and Thornton, were 
also dispensed with, not having fulfilled what was 
expected of them. To add to their troubles, the 
condition of the Ma-Robert grew steadily worse. 
Every day a fresh leak appeared. The deck was 
like a sieve, and during heavy rains the cabin was 
frequently flooded, in consequence of which all the 
members of the party suffered from attacks of fever, 
caused by sleeping on the wet cushions. 

About the middle of August, Livingstone made a 
third trip up the Shire partly to become better ac- 
quainted with the natives and partly to search for 
the great lake north of Shirwa, of which he had been 
told. The vessel was left just above Chibisa's 
village, and the exploring party, consisting of the 
four white men, thirty-six Makololos, and two guides, 
started out on their search for Lake Nyassa. The 
Makololos were armed with muskets, which added, 
however, more to the appearance than to the actual 
strength of the party, for most of them had never 
fired a shot. Taking a northeasterly course, they 
soon reached the foot of the Manganza hills. Ascend- 
ing these, the vegetation began to change. Bamboo 
appeared, also many new plants and trees, which 
greatly interested Dr. Kirk. After a fatiguing 
climb they arrived at the first of the three terraces, 
on plains situated at difl'erent elevations, of which 
the Shire valley is composed. As the weather was 
mild and there were no mosquitoes on these hills, 

[83] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

the travellers slept out under the trees, but at day- 
light they were astir, and after a cup of coffee and 
some zwieback resumed the march, to make the most 
of the delicious morning air. In a few hours the 
upper terrace was reached, a broad plateau three 
thousand feet above the sea, the edge of which 
sloped down to Lake Shirwa. Livingstone and his 
companions were charmed with the splendid view 
from this point and gazed with ever-increasing 
delight over the fertile plains and rolling hills to the 
majestic mountain peaks beyond. 

A week's march brought them into the upper 
valley of the Shire, which they found a wonderfully 
fertile region, well watered and covered with mag- 
nificent forests and supporting a dense population. 
Except for leopards, which were occasionally seen, 
the country was quite free from wild beasts. On 
September i6, 1859, Livingstone at last discovered 
Lake Nyassa. Two months later Dr. Roscher, a 
German explorer, reached the lake from another 
direction, but was killed by the natives soon after- 
wards. His murderers were seized by one of the 
chiefs and sent to Zanzibar, where they were put to 
death. 

As the Manganjas, who inhabited this territory, 
were less friendly than the tribes of the lower val- 
leys, Livingstone made only a short stay at Nyassa, 
intending to return at some future time for a more 
careful exploration of the great lake and the sur- 
rounding country. Retracing their steps, therefore, 

[84] 



EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY 

the party reached the Ma-Robert October 6. After 
enjoying the cold, bracing air of the highlands, they 
found the heat of the lower valley most oppressive. 
There was a great difference, too, in the tempera- 
ture of the water, which here was very warm. The 
need of fresh supplies necessitated another trip to 
the Kongone, and Livingstone improved this oppor- 
tunity to have the vessel taken ashore again for 
repairs, and was able by December i6 to resume 
his journey up the river. The rains had now set in, 
however, the Zambesi had risen greatly, and prog- 
ress in the Ma-Robert was so painfully slow that 
it was February i, i860, before he reached Tette. 

In spite of this life of almost constant travelling, 
Livingstone wrote regularly to his family, sent fre- 
quent reports to the Geographical Society in Lon- 
don, and carried on an extensive correspondence 
with friends in England and Cape Town. In many 
of the letters written at this time he speaks of 
the idea which he then had in mind. He was 
firmly convinced that the highlands of the Shire 
valley were admirably adapted for the establish- 
ment of missionary and commercial stations. 
Settlers in this healthful region could easily induce 
the industrious inhabitants to cultivate native 
produce to exchange for goods of European manu- 
facture, at the same time implanting by word and 
example the great truths of Christianity. Except for 
the Murchison Cataracts, along which a road could 
easily be built, the whole distance from England 

[85] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

could be made by water. To make this plan effec- 
tive, Livingstone was anxious to found an English 
colony, consisting at first of some twenty or thirty 
families of the poorer classes, who, struggling at home 
with poverty and want, could find ample subsist- 
ence in that fruitful valley. He begged his friends 
in England to discuss the matter with some influ- 
ential men, adding that he himself was ready to 
contribute two thousand pounds toward it without 
saying from whom it came. Besides this he had a 
new scheme for the suppression of the slave trade. 
As the principal route for the transportation of 
slaves from the interior to the north was across 
Nyassa, it was his idea that a small, armed vessel 
on the lake would do more to prevent this traffic 
than half a dozen warships on the ocean, and in a 
letter to Sir Robert Murchison, dated February 7, 
i860, he urgently recommended this plan. 



[86] 



Chapt^ 



er 



XIII 



Back to the Makololo Country 
[i860] 



LIVINGSTONE now began to think seriously 
of his journey to the Makololo country, 
but as it would be difficult to obtain any 
supplies beyond Kebrabasa until the crops had 
been harvested, he determined to postpone the trip 
until May and in the meantime go down to Kon- 
gone once more, hoping to find letters from home. 
In this he was disappointed, however, and after 
waiting several weeks for the arrival of some ves- 
sel, he returned to Tette. His engineer, Rae, was 
sent down to Quilimane to take ship for England, 
there to try his best to obtain a serviceable steam- 
boat for the expedition. Preparations were now 
made for the journey to the interior. The Ma- 
Robert was left at an island just across from Tette, 
in the care of the two English sailors belonging to 
the expedition; a supply of calico, beads, and brass 
wire was sewed up in pieces of old sail-cloth and the 
name of the bearer placed on each package. 

On May 16, i860, all was ready, and at two 

[87] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

o'clock in the afternoon Livingstone set out with 
his caravan. Major Sicard furnished him with 
three men to accompany him on the return journey, 
three other natives carried presents to Sekeletu 
from some of the merchants of Tette, while a pair 
of donkeys were loaned to him by a Portuguese 
friend. Many of the Makololos chose to remain in 
Tette, and of those who started with the caravan 
so many deserted every night that by the time 
Kebrabasa was reached only two-thirds of the 
original number remained. 

A march of some thirty or forty miles through the 
hills brought the travellers to the Chikowa plain. 
This being a region where lions were numerous, the 
Makololos gave much care to the arrangement of 
the camp at night. A level spot in the centre was 
covered with long, dry grass on which three woollen 
covers were laid in a row for the white men, Living- 
stone sleeping in the middle, his brother Charles 
on his left, and Dr. Kirk on his right. Their travel- 
ling kits, books, and revolvers were placed at their 
head and near their feet a fire was built about which 
the men grouped themselves according to their 
tribes. The natives slept in fumhas or sleeping 
bags, consisting of double mats of palm leaves 
fastened together on three sides, leaving the fourth 
open to crawl in by. Every night twelve fires were 
lighted about the camp, which, frequently replen- 
ished by the natives, made a brilliant blaze. At 
daylight they arose and had a cup of tea with a 
[88] 



BACK TO MAKOLOLO COUNTRY 

bit of zwieback, the bed coverings and cooking uten- 
sils were packed away, and by sunrise all were on 
the march. About nine o'clock a halt was made 
for breakfast, after which the march was continued 
with only a short rest during the middle of the day 
until early in the afternoon, when another camp was 
chosen. Livingstone never hurried over the ground 
to see how much could be accomplished within a 
certain time. He always tried to make the journey 
more a pleasure than a burden, finding that consid- 
eration for his people not only kept them in good 
spirits, but also gave him time to enjoy the scen- 
ery and all that was new about him. He found the 
Chikowa plain a fertile region which formerly had 
sustained a large population, but the ravages of 
war and slave traders had swept away most of the 
inhabitants, and weeds grew thick about their 
ruined huts, among which a few cotton plants were 
still to be seen. Whenever they entered a village 
the women and children fled shrieking into their 
huts at sight of the strangers and the greatest excite- 
ment prevailed until the shouts of the laughing 
Makololos calmed their fears. The donkeys caused 
almost as much alarm as the white men, especially 
when one of them began to bray, but when the last 
sound had died away and nothing happened, they 
looked at one another and burst into shouts of 
laughter. 

Continuing up the north or left bank of the Zam- 
besi, on June 20 Livingstone reached the spot where 

[89] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

he had crossed the river four years before, and now 
found himself on familiar ground. The first of his 
old acquaintances to greet him was the chief Mpende, 
who welcomed the travellers most cordially and 
loaded them with presents. The country everywhere 
bore traces of the results of warfare. The life of all 
African empires is brief. Some chief of more than 
ordinary ability conquers his weaker neighbor and 
brings large tracts under his dominion, but his 
successor is unable to maintain the supremacy, his 
vassals become independent, and a fresh series of 
desolating wars ensue. Livingstone was convinced 
that a European colony would be of incalculable 
benefit to Central Africa, by constraining the tribes 
to live in peace and engage in the pursuits of trade 
and agriculture. 

After crossing the Loangwa in the canoes of some 
Portuguese slaves who had built their huts on the 
farther bank, the caravan turned northward through 
the Mohango pass, reaching the Zambesi early in 
July. It was now the African midwinter and the 
nights were very cold. The tsetse flies were more 
troublesome than ever and followed the travellers, 
humming like a swarm of bees. The pain of their 
stings is very painful, though it lasts only for a 
moment. Wild beasts became more numerous every 
day in this uninhabited region. Herds of elephants, 
buffaloes, zebras, and many kinds of antelopes were 
frequently encountered, some of the latter permit- 
ting the head of the caravan to approach within 

[90] 



BACK TO MAKOLOLO COUNTRY 

two hundred feet of them. The wild boars, of which 
many were seen, were very shy; while, on the 
contrary, troops of monkeys hastily retreated into 
the jungle at the sight of the travellers, chattering 
angrily at this invasion of their territory. Guinea 
fowl, doves, ducks, and geese were also plentiful. 
With the darkness a new and even more numerous 
world of living creatures awoke. Lions and hyenas 
roared and howled about the camp; unknown birds 
sang melodiously or screeched as if in fear; and all 
sorts of strange insect noises were heard. 

One day Livingstone narrowly escaped losing his 
life from the attack of a two-horned rhinoceros. 
This formidable beast is surprisingly agile, in spite 
of its great bulk, and very savage, being one of 
the few animals who will attack man unprovoked. 
While making their way through a dense thicket, 
Livingstone had become separated from his com- 
panions and was stooping to gather some specimen 
when a black rhinoceros made a furious charge at 
him, but, strange to say, suddenly stopped short, 
giving him time to escape. In his flight his watch 
chain became entangled in a branch, and stopping 
to loosen it he saw the beast still standing in the 
same spot, as if held back by an invisible hand. On 
reaching a safe distance he uttered a shout of warn- 
ing, thinking some of the party might be near, 
whereupon the rhinoceros rushed away, grunting 
loudly. 

On July 1 1 they arrived at the Kafue River, which 

[91] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

was the boundary of the Balonga country. Here 
Livingstone heard that some Englishmen had been 
visiting the mighty Mosilikatse, whose capital was 
a month's journey away, and had told him that it 
was wrong to kill one's fellowmen. To this the chief 
had replied that he was born to kill men, but would 
abandon the practice, and since that time he had 
no longer sent his people out to fight, but only to 
collect tribute of ivory and cotton. Livingstone 
afterwards learned that a mission station had actu- 
ally been founded in Mosilikatse's dominion by his 
brother-in-law Robert Moffat, from Kuruman; but 
it was remarkable that his message of peace should 
have so soon spread so far. 

Everywhere the Makololos made it known that 
they and their white chief were friends of peace, to 
which the natives responded in friendly greeting and 
with presents of food of all kinds. When the party 
reached the outskirts of Sekeletu's territory, they 
heard discouraging news. The wife of one of the 
men had been killed for witchcraft during his ab- 
sence, another had married again, and the poor 
fellow's wails of anguish were most distressing to 
hear. 

After a short detour in order to visit the magnif- 
icent Victoria Falls, which Charles Livingstone, who 
had been in America, declared were even finer than 
Niagara, the journey was resumed to Sesheke, where 
Sekeletu was at that time. The meeting between 
Livingstone and his Makololo friends was not so joy- 

[92] 



BACK TO MAKOLOLO COUNTRY 

ful as on his return from Loanda, however. Owing 
to protracted drought, the harvest had failed and 
many of the people had scattered about the country 
in search of wild fruits or to claim the hospitality 
of more fortunate neighbors. Added to this was 
the tragic news that Sekeletu was ill of leprosy and 
lived apart from the village on the other bank of 
the river, where no one was allowed to see him. 
He had ordered a large hut to be made ready for 
the white men, however, and a fat ox killed for the 
hungry travellers. The next day a stream of vis- 
itors poured into Livingstone's hut. The people 
were much affected on seeing him and were greatly 
depressed over the famine and the illness of their 
chief. The physicians had pronounced Sekeletu 
incurable, and as the last resort he was being treated 
by a native doctress. To offset this grievous state 
of things, however, Livingstone heard the good news 
that his old friend Sechele was doing well. He was 
now at the head of nine tribes, had a Hanoverian 
missionary, and the schools were numerously 
attended. 



[93] 



Chapter XIV 

Universities Mission and Lake Nyassa 
[1862-1863] 

LEAVING Sesheke September 17, Livingstone 
and his party reached Tette November 23, 
whence they started for Kongone with the 
Ma-Robert, But it was almost impossible to keep 
her afloat. The pumps refused to work, and just 
above Senna she stuck fast on a sand bank and they 
had to abandon her, finishing the journey in canoes. 
Arrived at Kongone, they took up their quarters 
in a newly built Portuguese custom-house to await 
the arrival of the promised steamer, which did not 
occur till January 31, owing to a succession of storms. 
The Pioneer, as she was called, was a great improve- 
ment over the Ma-Robert and was hailed with joy 
by Livingstone and his companions. 

With her arrived also the first detachment of the 
so-called Universities Mission, consisting of Bishop 
Mackenzie and five other Englishmen, with five 
negroes from the Cape. Livingstone's report as 
to the suitability of the upper Shire valley for Euro- 
pean occupation had met with lively response in 

[94] 



UNIVERSITIES MISSION 

England, and the universities of Oxford and Cam- 
bridge determined to found a mission for the bene- 
fit of the native tribes on the Shire and Lake Nyassa. 
Livingstone, who had great hopes of this enterprise, 
welcomed the newcomers most joyfully and prepared 
to accompany them to their destination. 

Embarking in the Pioneer ^ therefore, they reached 
the Shire valley in good season. Chigunda, one of 
the Manganja chiefs, urged the Bishop and his 
party to settle at Magomero — an offer which was 
gladly accepted. As the neighboring tribe of 
Ajawa was then waging war on the Manganjas it 
was thought best for Livingstone and the Bishop 
to visit that chief and if possible induce him to 
abandon his murderous practices. On the way 
they met with numerous bands of fugitives, bearing 
on their heads the few possessions they had been 
able to save, and soon through the smoke of a burn- 
ing village resounded yells of triumph and the 
wailing of women. Presently a band of Ajawa 
warriors issued from between the hills with a long 
line of prisoners, and on seeing the party a shout 
arose that Chibisa had come, that powerful chief 
having the reputation of being a sorcerer. At this 
they fired on the Bishop's party and compelled them 
in self-defence to fire in return. This was the first 
time that Livingstone had ever actually been 
attacked by natives or been obliged to resort to 
violence, and so little was he thinking of such a 
thing that he had not his rifle with him and was 

[95] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

"As the vessel approached," says Dr. Stewart, 
a Scotch clergyman on board the Gorgon^ "I could 
see with a glass a strongly built man of medium 
height standing on the port paddle-box and direct- 
ing the ship's course. He was dressed somewhat 
like a naval officer and wore that gold-laced cap 
which has since become so well known both at 
home and in Africa. This was Dr. Livingstone, 
and I said to his wife, ^ There he is at last!' She 
looked brighter at this announcement than I had 
seen her do for seven months." 

Among the new arrivals were a sister of Bishop 
Mackenzie and the wife of his companion, Bur- 
rup. Knowing that they would be anxiously awaited 
at the mission. Captain Wilson of the Gorgon and 
Dr. Kirk started up the river with them at once 
in two boats; but on reaching Chibisa's village 
they were met by the sad news that Mackenzie 
and Burrup were no longer alive. During an expe- 
dition up the Shire their canoe had upset with all 
their medicines and supplies. The Bishop had 
been attacked with fever and died in the hut of a 
native January 31, soon followed by Burrup, who 
had fallen ill of the same disease. Overwhelmed 
by this dreadful news, the two sorrowing women 
returned to Shupanga with Captain Wilson, who 
nearly succumbed himself to the fever. The 
Bishop's death was a great blow to Livingstone, for 
he foresaw the effect of this news in England upon 
the hopes and plans he had so much at heart, just 

[98] 



UNIVERSITIES MISSION 

at the time, too, when they were most in need of 
support. 

On April 4 the Gorgon sailed for England, taking 
the two bereaved women with the remaining mem- 
bers of the mission, while Livingstone and his wife 
returned to Shupanga. The long detention in the 
most unhealthful season of the year, and when the 
fever was at its height, proved a sad calamity, 
for on March 21 Mrs. Livingstone was also attacked 
with it. In spite of all remedies she soon became 
unconscious and passed away on the evening of the 
twenty-seventh, Livingstone and his two comrades 
kneeling in prayer beside her bed. The next day 
a grave was dug under a huge beobab tree at Shu- 
panga, and here her body was laid to rest in the 
presence of the heart-broken husband and his 
sorrowing countrymen. 

As) soon as Livingstone was able to brace himself 
after this crushing blow, he was again at his post, 
helping to put together the Lady Nyassa, as the new 
steamer was called. By the end of June she was 
ready to launch, greatly to the wonder of the natives, 
who could not understand how iron should swim; 
but now the rainy season had passed and it would 
be impossible to get her to the lake before Decem- 
ber. This was another great disappointment, but 
meanwhile Livingstone determined to renew the 
exploration of the Rovuma River, hoping to find 
some other navigable route to Nyassa. On Sep- 
tember I, he started, proceeding as far as Johanna 

[99] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

in the Pioneer. After laying in supplies she was 
taken in tow by the Orestes as far as the mouth of 
the Rovuma, where she was left, while Livingstone 
and his party continued the journey in canoes. 
The voyage up this river was of little profit, how- 
ever. The explorers did not venture far from the 
banks on account of the hostility of the natives, 
but, so far as they saw, the country was fertile, the 
people industrious, and there was a good field for 
trade. About one hundred and fifty miles from 
the mouth of the river, however, they encountered 
cataracts, and the inhabitants reported larger ones 
farther above. There was evidently no navigable 
connection between Nyassa and the Rovuma, which 
rose in the mountains to the west; so Livingstone 
decided to return and take the Lady Nyassa to her 
destination by the Zambesi route, which was already 
familiar to him. 

Early in October, therefore, he set out once more 
and reached the first of the Murchison Cataracts 
without mishap. Here the steamer was taken to 
pieces- and the party began to construct a road beside 
the thirty-five or forty miles of rapids, over which 
it would have to be transported by land. The 
exertion required for this work, together with the 
lack of fresh food of any kind, caused much illness 
in the party, and the health of both Dr. Kirk and 
Charles Livingstone became so seriously impaired 
that it seemed best for them to return to England. 
In May, Livingstone himself had a severe attack 

[lOO] 



UNIVERSITIES MISSION 

of fever, which lasted a whole month and reduced 
him to a mere shadow. On July 2 a despatch 
arrived from Earl Russell recalling the expedition, 
assigning as a reason that, through no fault of Liv- 
ingstone's, it had failed to accomplish the object 
for which it had been designed and had also proved 
much more costly than had been originally intended. 
This was not altogether a surprise to Livingstone, 
for he had already written to England that there 
would be little use in trying to develop trade in 
Central Africa so long as the Portuguese, who not 
only permitted, but continued to practise slave 
trading, insisted on keeping the rivers closed. None 
the less it was a bitter disappointment to him, espe- 
cially now that he was on the eve of realizing his 
long-cherished plan of placing a steamboat on Lake 
Nyassa. He had spent half his fortune on this 
vessel, which had cost six thousand pounds instead 
of three thousand, as expected, and he had hoped 
that the government would repay him at least a 
part of this outlay, in which case he had generously 
promised Dr. Stewart the sum of one hundred and 
fifty pounds yearly if he would carry on his work 
on the shores of Nyassa. But there was no mention 
of indemnity in the despatch and the Lady Nyassa 
would never float upon those waters, of which she was 
to have been the guardian angel, but must return 
to England, her mission unfulfilled. As it would 
be impossible, however, to get the Pioneer back to 
the coast until the December floods, Livingstone 

[lOl] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

resolved to employ the interval by making a trip 
to the northern end of the lake. Leaving the two 
vessels in charge of chief officer Young and Rae, 
the ship's engineer, with orders to set up the Lady 
Nyassa again for the journey to the coast, he started 
off on foot, accompanied only by the steward and a 
few native servants, intending to explore the country 
west of Nyassa, and if possible reach its northern 
end. For the first time in his travels he carried 
some bottles of wine with him, for hitherto water 
had been his only drink, with a little hot tea or coffee 
in the morning. Instead of taking the right bank 
of the Shire which led only through abandoned 
villages, he followed one of its smaller tributaries, 
until he reached a region the inhabitants of which 
had successfully defended themselves against the 
Ajawas. Beyond this was a chain of mountains 
extending from the west side of Murchison Falls to 
the north end of Lake Nyassa, to which Livingstone 
gave the name of Kirk's Range. On September 27 
he reached an arm of the Loangwa, where to his 
great regret a halt had to be called, as time was 
getting short. The orders from government were 
strict. He must get the Pioneer down to the coast 
while the river was in flood, and the pay of his party 
ceased on the last of December. Much as he would 
have liked, therefore, to complete his journey to the 
north end of Nyassa, he was compelled to turn back. 
On November l, 1863, he got back to the ship and 
found all well. Two months were spent here wait- 
[102] 



UNIVERSITIES MISSION 

ing for the flood, which gave the travellers a much 
needed opportunity to rest after the fatigues and 
hardships of so long and difiicult a journey on foot. 
By the middle of January, 1864, the Shire had 
risen sufficiently and they weighed anchor. At 
the mouth of the Zambesi they were met by the 
Orestes and the Ariel and taken in tow as far as 
Mozambique. 



[103] 



Chapt, 



er 



XV 



From Zanxibar to Lake Tanganyika 
[1866- 1867] 

LIVINGSTONE spent over a year in Eng- 
land, engaged in writing an account of his 
travels and being entertained with every 
mark of honor. He had no intention, however, of 
settling down quietly at home, but was already plan- 
ning for his third and last great journey, the object 
of which was to find some spot suitable for a new 
settlement either at the head of the Rovuma or 
elsewhere inland, north of the Portuguese lines, by 
means of which trade could be established between 
the east coast and the interior. At the special 
request of the London Geographical Society he 
hoped also to define the northern end of Lake 
Nyassa and the southern end of Lake Tanganyika, 
to settle the important question as to the water- 
sheds of that part of Central Africa. For this 
purpose the Geographical Society and the govern- 
ment each placed at his disposal the sum of five hun- 
dred pounds, while a friend whose name was not 
mentioned contributed a thousand pounds more. 
[104] 



ZANZIBAR TO TANGANYIKA 

His consulship was also renewed as giving him 
greater influence, but this time it was merely an 
honorary oflice and carried no salary. After all 
the sacrifices that he had made, Livingstone was 
deeply wounded; but accustomed to work for no 
earthly reward, he nobly conquered his feelings and 
toward the middle of August, 1865, set out cheer- 
fully on what was to prove the last of his journeys. 
In undertaking this task he had no idea of abandon- 
ing his work as a missionary, for in his intercourse 
with the natives he could still point out to them the 
horrors of the slave trade and give them some idea 
of the Christian religion. 

At Zanzibar he was detained nearly two months, 
waiting for H.M.S. Penguin which was to convey 
him to the mouth of the Rovuma; but at last she 
arrived, and on March 19 he started once more for 
the Dark Continent, armed with a firman from the 
Sultan to all his subjects and in his heart the prayer 
that God would prosper his undertaking and grant 
him success in his efforts to aid the heathen. His 
party consisted of thirteen Sepoys, two Shupanga 
men, and ten from the island of Johanna; besides 
the two Waiyan lads, Chuma and Wikatani, and 
nine other Nassick boys who had been rescued from 
slavery and educated at the expense of the govern- 
ment in Bombay. He also carried with him a small 
menagerie in a dhow^ or sort of transport craft, con- 
sisting of six camels, three Indian buff'aloes with a 
calf, two mules, and four donkeys, for the purpose 

[105] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

of proving whether they could resist the bite of the 
tsetse fly. 

On March 22 they reached Rovuma Bay, whence 
Livingstone had intended to proceed inland on foot; 
but as the country was all under water, the Penguin 
landed them twenty-five miles farther north, at' 
Mikindany Harbor, about which were clustered a 
number of small villages. Here the cargo was 
landed, and after a few days' rest to give the animals 
time to recover from the effect of the voyage, the 
caravan started for the interior with two guides. 
Travelling southward towards the Rovuma, they 
found progress very difficult, owing to the dense 
undergrowth, part of the bamboo forest being so 
overgrown with creepers that it was almost impos- 
sible to cut a passage for the camels. The animals, 
though repeatedly stung by the tsetse, were not 
seriously affected, but they were very badly treated 
by the men who had charge of them, in spite of all 
that Livingstone could do. One of the camels was 
lamed so badly by a blow from a Sepoy that it had 
to be left behind in a village. These Sepoys finally 
became so intolerable that Livingstone sent most of 
them back to the coast and supplied their places by 
native bearers. 

The Rovuma was reached very near the spot 
where the Pioneer had turned back in 1861, and as 
the country between there and the northern end of 
Nyassa was said to be very mountainous and inhab- 
ited by hostile tribes, Livingstone decided to make 

[106] 



ZANZIBAR TO TANGANYIKA 

for the middle of Nyassa and after crossing it follow 
the course he had taken in 1863, toward the north- 
ern end of the lake. As they advanced, the horrors 
of the slave trade became more and more apparent. 
The Arab traders were careful to avoid Livingstone 
with their caravans of victims, but the numerous 
slave sticks scattered along the way bore witness 
to the unfortunate victims who had been dragged 
away without hope of escape. Dead bodies were 
often found in these slave sticks, especially those of 
women who had not been able to keep up with the 
party and had been put to death by their brutal 
owners or tied to a tree and left to become the prey 
of wild beasts. 

Continuing their march, they came to an immense 
uninhabited region, where food became so scarce 
that each man was allowed only a handful of meal a 
day. In spite of the weakness caused by this scanty 
diet, it was necessary to hasten on as fast as possible. 
On July 13 they reached the village of Moembe, 
belonging to a Mataka chief. Here they found an 
abundance of good food, besides maize and manioc. 
The natives had also planted large quantities of 
English peas and tobacco and owned herds of cattle, 
sheep, and goats. The chief, who was a man of 
about sixty, dressed in Arab costume, received the 
travellers most hospitably, although he had never 
seen a European before. In truth Livingstone was 
much in need of rest and nourishment, for between 
lack of food and the long, exhausting marches, 

[107] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

he had become, as he wrote to his son Thomas, as 
thin as one of Pharaoh's lean kine. West of 
Mataka's territory there was a fine plateau thirty- 
four hundred feet above the sea, as well adapted 
for a settlement as Magonero, but it had taken 
them four months to get to it, while Magonero 
was reached in three weeks. The abandonment of 
that mission he would never cease to regret. 

On August 8, 1866, they reached Lake Nyassa, 
which seemed to Livingstone like an old friend that 
he had never expected to see again. He bathed again 
in the delicious water and felt quite exhilarated. 
As he was unable to obtain a dhow from the Arabs, 
he decided to go farther south and cross the lake 
at its outlet, the Shire. As he reached the southern 
end of the lake and gazed once more upon that 
well-known river, what mournful memories must 
have been awakened — the death of his beloved 
wife, that of the Bishop, and the abandonment of the 
Universities Mission. But he had firm faith that 
the cause for which he had labored so earnestly 
would yet triumph, even though he might not live 
to see it. Could he but have looked ahead ten 
years, he would have seen his own name planted on 
this very spot by his countrymen who were con- 
tinuing the work begun by the Universities Mission. 

Resuming his march around the lake, he finally 
succeeded toward the middle of December in reach- 
ing the Loangwa River, which flows into Nyassa from 
the west. This was where he had been forced to 

[108] 



ZANZIBAR TO TANGANYIKA 

turn back three years before. Now crossing in 
canoes to the north bank of the Loangwa, he set 
out for his next goal, Lake Tanganyika, a journey 
so beset with difficulties and hardships that even 
his wonderful courage and strength of will were 
taxed to the utmost to surmount them. A four 
days' march brought him to the foot of the Lokinga 
or Babira Mountains, one of the principal water- 
sheds of Central Africa; namely, that between 
the Zambesi and Congo rivers. Ascending these, 
Livingstone found himself on the densely wooded 
plateau, where the air was filled with the songs of 
birds and the most beautiful blossoms of all hues 
charmed the eye. The villages here were few and 
far apart, the natives suspicious and unfriendly; 
and as they themselves were short of food, it was 
almost impossible to obtain any supplies and the 
party was actually threatened with starvation. 
The goats upon which Livingstone had depended 
for milk were lost or stolen and his only food con- 
sisted of unsalted millet porridge and cooked mush- 
rooms. Weak and emaciated, the party dragged 
themselves along through dense forests, incessant 
rains adding greatly to their discomfort. 

About this time, toward the end of 1866, some of 
the Johanna men who had been discharged returned 
to Zanzibar and boldly declared that Livingstone 
was dead, having been murdered by the natives 
west of Nyassa. This was pure invention of course, 
although the explorer was then actually in danger 

[ 109 ] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

of death from starvation. He had another narrow 
escape one morning. While sitting under a tree he 
found just above his head a spectacle snake, which 
was coiled about the trunk. Fortunately, however, 
it was torpid with cold and he was able to get out 
of the way before it gave any sign of life. On 
January 15, 1867, i^ crossing the eastern end of 
Lake Chimbwe, Livingstone lost the only dog he 
had with him. His faithful poodle, Chitane, was 
drowned. A few days later another and more seri- 
ous loss occurred — that of his precious medicine 
chest. It had always been entrusted to Baraka, 
one of his most careful people, but an Ajawa, hired 
for the day, had offered without authority to carry 
it, with some other things, for the regular bearer and 
had bolted with a fellow tribesman, taking not only 
the medicine chest, but also a large box of powder, 
a dearly bought supply of flour, all the dishes and tools, 
two guns, and a cartridge box. It was in the middle 
of a dense forest and raining heavily, so there was 
no hope of finding the fugitives. The loss of the 
medicine chest was a great calamity. "I felt," 
said Livingstone, "as if I had now received the 
sentence of death, like poor Bishop Mackenzie." 
With it he had lost the precious remedy that had 
proved so effectual in fever, leaving him in case of 
illness alone and helpless in the heart of the African 
wilderness. 

Drenched by frequent rain, the travellers finally 
reached the Chambeze River January 28, 1867, 
[no] 



ZANZIBAR TO TANGANYIKA 

beyond which three days' march through track- 
less forest and muddy swamps brought them to 
Molemba. Here Livingstone was taken ill with 
rheumatic fever, which was aggravated by the need 
of proper remedies; but as soon as he had partially 
recovered, he insisted on resuming the journey, and 
by making frequent halts in the villages of friendly 
chiefs he was able to complete it. On gaining the 
summit of the ridge overlooking Tanganyika, Liv- 
ingstone stayed behind the rest; but it was not long 
before he heard the shouts of his boys, who had 
come upon an unobstructed view of the lake. It was 
at the extreme southern end, called Lake Liemba 
by the natives, and seemed about twenty miles 
wide, losing itself in the distance to the north. On 
descending to the level of the water, Livingstone 
found the altitude about twenty-five hundred feet. 
Several rocky islands were inhabited by fishermen, 
who declared that twenty-four varieties of fish 
were caught in the waters of the lake. Crocodiles 
and hippopotami were also numerous. Buffaloes, 
elephants, and antelopes grazed on the lower slope 
of the range, and at night the roaring of lions was 
frequently heard. The Balungas who inhabited the 
lake shores, had suffered much from inroads of 
the Masitus and were disposed to regard Living- 
stone and his party with suspicion. Under these 
circumstances he would gladly have gone on had he 
been able. His strength of will alone had kept him 
up thus far, however, and a few days after his arrival 

[in] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

at the lake he had a fainting fit in front of his hut, 
and in trying to raise himself fell backward into 
it, striking his head against a chest with great force, 
so that he was unconscious for several hours. It 
took him a long time to recover, and for weeks he 
was forced to remain idle in a small village beside 
the lake. 



[112] 



Chapter XVI 

Discovery of Lakes Moero and Bangweolo 
[1867- 1869] 

EARLY in May, Livingstone left Pambete, 
where he had been ill so long, and climbing 
the ridge once more, took a southwesterly 
course across the plateau beyond. He had intended 
to search for Lake Moero to the west, believing that 
there the question of the watershed would be decided ; 
but the Arabs were then at war with Usama, one 
of the mightiest chiefs of that region, and Living- 
stone was warned that it would be fatal for him to 
proceed. He was therefore obliged to wait at the 
village of Chitimba until the restoration of peace 
before he could pass through the Itawa country, 
which lay between him and the lake. At the end 
of three months this was secured by the marriage 
of Nsama's daughter to Hamee, chief of the Arabs 
at Chitimba's, to whom Livingstone had presented 
the Sultan's firman and who had been very kind to 
him. 

Nsama having expressed a wish to see Livingstone, 

[113] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

he now set out once more. Traversing a rolling 
country filled with game of all sorts, they forded the 
headwaters of the Lofu River and on September 9 
reached Nsama's stockade. This chief had for- 
merly been a sort of African Napoleon, an invincible 
warrior who had spread terror throughout the 
country, but was now a very old man, so stout and 
clumsy that he had to be carried about by his people. 
He graciously accepted a piece of cloth from Living- 
stone, in return for which he promised to furnish 
him with two guides to Moero; then asked permis- 
sion to feel of the white man's hair and clothes, 
whereupon the interview ended, Livingstone urg- 
ing him to try to live at peace with his neighbors 
hereafter. The Itawas were tall, fine looking men, 
scarcely distinguishable from Europeans except in 
color, but they had the repulsive habit of filing 
their teeth into sharp points. 

As Nsama and his guides were not altogether 
trustworthy, Livingstone followed Hamee's advice 
to wait and join an Arab caravan which was leaving 
September 22 for the Moero country to buy ivory. 
After leaving the Itawa territory, this proved no easy 
matter. The Arabs sent out men in all directions 
to trade with the natives, but the news of their 
firearms and of Nsama's defeat had spread such 
terror that the chief would sell neither food nor 
ivory to these dangerous strangers. Long discus- 
sions and delays followed, most trying to Living- 
stone's patience, but at length the journey was 

[114] 



LAKES MOERO AND BANGWEOLO 



resumed and, after parting from the Arabs, he and 
his little party pursued their way westward until 
they reached the north end of Lake Moero, Novem- 
ber 8, 1867, thus making an important addition to 
Livingstone's geographical discoveries. Lying at an 
altitude of more than three thousand feet, it extended 
some sixty-five miles from north to south, with a 
maximum width of thirty-five or forty, and was 
shut in on the east and west by lofty, wooded moun- 
tain sides. To the east it receives the waters of 
the Kalongosi, and at its southern end those of the 
Rovukwe and the Luapula, which latter leaves it 
again flowing northward as the Lualaba. 

Not far to the south was the village of a famous 
chief named Casembe, whom Livingstone was 
anxious to visit. In order to do this, and at the 
same time explore the lake more thoroughly, he 
followed along the east shore and crossed the 
Kalongosi into the Balunda country, where he found 
a good road leading directly to Casembe's village. 
This consisted of an irregular group of huts, situ- 
ated on the shores of a small lake called Mofwe, and 
containing about one thousand inhabitants, many of 
whom were terribly mutilated, their ears and hands 
being cut off for the slightest offence. The Casembe, 
or "General," as he was called, received Living- 
stone in state, seated in front of his hut on a sort of 
throne covered with leopard and lion skins, and 
dressed in a long robe of coarse blue and white 
calico bordered with red woollen stuff. His sleeves 



[115] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

and cap were made of different colored beads woven 
in patterns, and the latter was surmounted by a 
crown made of yellow feathers. He had a fat, 
expressionless countenance and squinted horribly 
with both eyes. As soon as he had taken his seat 
the chief warriors appeared one after another, each 
shaded by a huge umbrella and followed by his 
people. After bowing low to the Casembe they 
seated themselves on his right and left, while a num- 
ber of musicians also took their places. An old 
man then rose and explained to the chief what he 
had learned of Livingstone and his travels, at the 
end of which Casembe replied that his country was 
open to the white man and the meeting adjourned. 
He seemed much pleased with the presents Living- 
stone had brought and in exchange offered to sup- 
ply him with guides. Livingstone started at once 
for Lake Moero, intending to get to Ujiji as soon as 
possible, where he hoped to find the stores and med- 
icines ordered from Zanzibar, and also letters from 
home, no word from the outer world having reached 
him now for two years. But before they had gone 
far, they heard that the country eastward was all 
under water and the lake itself so rough that it was 
out of the question to attempt to cross until after 
the rains had ceased. 

As week after week passed, however, and the floods 
still continued in the north, Livingstone determined 
to visit a large and as yet unexplored body of water 
lying to the south, called Lake Bemba or Bang- 

[ii6] 



LAKES MOERO AND BANGWEOLO 

weolo, of which he had often heard. An Arab 
trader, Mohammed ben Saleb, who had joined the 
expedition, tried to dissuade him from undertak- 
ing this journey, as the country thereabouts was 
very swampy and malarious, but Livingstone was 
not to be dissuaded from his purpose, and in spite 
of many delays and obstacles succeeded in reaching 
his destination. His discovery of Lake Bangweolo 
is thus quietly recorded: "On July i8 I walked a 
little way ahead and saw the shores of the lake for 
the first time, thankful that I had come safely 
hither." 

The surrounding country was flat and almost 
treeless. A thick belt of rushes edged the lake, the 
waters of which were dark green in color, the bot- 
tom covered with fine white sand. There were 
several inhabited islands, which Livingstone visited, 
to the great wonder of the natives, who crowded 
around him in multitudes, never having seen a 
white man before. To satisfy their curiosity he 
showed them his note-book, his watch, compass, 
and burning-glass. He also produced his Bible and 
talked to them about it, losing no opportunity of 
sowing the good seed. 

But the most interesting thing about the lake — 
though not the most pleasant — was the number of 
spongy morasses seen on its banks. These were 
shallow depressions or valleys without trees or 
bushes, but covered with thick, short grass in which 
water gradually collected till it formed a sluggish 

I117] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

stream. These marshy canals were usually from 
two to ten miles long and from a quarter of a mile 
to a mile wide. In the course of thirty miles Living- 
stone had to cross no less than twenty-nine of these 
bogs, often waist deep, and as soon as he stepped 
into the water the leeches would fasten themselves 
on his bare legs and in a moment secure such a 
grip that even twisting them round the fingers failed 
to tear them off. Owing to the extreme dampness, 
all the trees in the vicinity were covered with lichens, 
some of a brilliant mossy green, others hanging in 
long festoons from the branches. 

It was Livingstone's impression at this time that 
in discovering Lake Bangweolo, with the morasses 
that fed it, he had also made the discovery that 
these marshy places might be the real sources of the 
three great rivers — the Nile, the Congo, and the 
Zambesi. A link was wanting, however, to prove 
this theory. It was yet to be shown that the Lua- 
pula, which flowed from Bangweolo into Lake Moero 
and thence northward as the Lualaba, was connected 
with the Nile system, and this must be determined 
on some future expedition. On leaving Bangweolo 
he was again detained by rumors of war, and it was 
only after much delay that he found himself at last 
on the way to Ujiji under the escort of a slave party. 
The country was in a very disturbed condition and 
more than once they were in danger of attack, but 
reached Casembe's territory safely, passed up the 
east side of Lake Moero, and on October 22 arrived 

[118] 



LAKES MOERO AND BANGWEOLO 

at the village of Kabwabwata, from which Living- 
stone had set out for Bangweolo six months before. 
Here some of his men who had deserted at that time 
came to him repentant and he took them back into his 
service. His Arab friend and companion, Moham- 
med Bogharib, was also joined by a trader, Said-bin- 
Habib, and a party of Banyamwesis bound for Lake 
Tanganyika with a quantity of ivory and copper. 
Two precious months were now wasted in nego- 
tiations with hostile chiefs, and more than once 
Livingstone was on the point of starting off by him- 
self, but at Mohammed's entreaties he agreed to 
wait, doing what he could in the meantime to avert 
bloodshed. At last, on December ii, the caravan 
started, — a motley group composed of Mohammed 
and his friends, a gang of Banyamwesi hangers-on, 
and strings of wretched slaves yoked together in 
their heavy slave sticks. Some carried ivory, others 
copper, or food for the march, while hope or fear, 
misery or villainy was stamped on the different faces. 
After a journey of much peril and hardship the 
caravan arrived at the Lofunso, in fording which 
two persons were drowned and two others, carried 
off their feet by the current, narrowly escaped, while 
a third was bitten by a crocodile. 

The year 1869 began gloomily enough for Living- 
stone. Marching for days in wet clothing, chilled, 
and insufficiently nourished, a severe illness resulted, 
from the effects of which he never entirely recov- 
ered. He coughed constantly, became distressingly 

I119] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

weak, and could no longer tell the time or the day 
of the week. Utterly exhausted, he arrived at the 
west shore of Tanganyika on March 14, where he 
was provided with a canoe by the Arabs and a 
month later reached the longed-for Ujiji, somewhat 
improved in health, but reduced to a living skele- 
ton. A bitter disappointment awaited him. The 
stores he had expected to find here had been made 
away with. Sixty-two of the eighty pieces of cloth 
and most of the precious beads had been stolen. 
Food and medicines had been left at Unyanyembe, 
thirteen days' journey to the east, from which they 
were now cut off by war, while the tame buffaloes, 
to be used as pack animals, had all died on the 
way. Among the remains, however, he was rejoiced 
to find some flannel and a supply of tea and coffee, 
with a little sugar. Milk and flour could be bought 
in Ujiji, and with proper food and clothing his health 
soon improved, so that he was able to be about 
again. To prevent if possible a similar disaster to 
the new store of goods he was ordering from Dr. 
Kirk, he wrote to the Sultan at Zanzibar relating 
what had happened, and at the same time gratefully 
acknowledging the benefit derived from his firman 
and the great kindness of the Arabs, to whom he 
undoubtedly owed his life. 



[120] 



Chapter XVII 

In the Manyuema Country 
[1869-1871] 



UJIJI was not a favorable spot for making 
a long stay. It was the resort of the 
worst kind of Arab traders, compared with 
whom Livingstone declares those whom he had 
hitherto met were gentlemen. Trading with them 
was simply a system of murder. These wretches 
had a special animosity against Livingstone and tried 
to obstruct and take advantage of him in every 
possible way. Fearing that he would expose their 
misdeeds, they no doubt destroyed all the letters 
he had written, for none of them was ever received 
at Zanzibar. As soon as he felt able, therefore, 
Livingstone was anxious to leave this unpleasant 
neighborhood, and after some deliberation decided 
to visit the Manyuema country, a hitherto unex- 
plored region west of Tanganyika, in order to ex- 
amine the lower Lualaba River and determine the 
direction of its flow. This would settle the ques- 
tion of the watershed and would not take more than 
four or five months if all went well. After some 

[121] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

difficulty he succeeded in obtaining a canoe with 
nine rowers, in which he set out on his new journey 
July 12, 1869. 

Leaving the canoe on the west shore of the lake, 
he proceeded inland on foot in a southwesterly 
direction and on September 21 reached Bambarre, 
one of the principal Manyuema villages, belonging 
to the chief, Moenekuss. He found the people 
completely isolated from the rest of the world and 
very different from the tribes on the coast. They 
were rather disposed to regard him with suspicion, 
but Mohammed Bogharib, who had joined Living- 
stone again at Kasinga, took the oath of blood 
brotherhood with the chiefs brother, after which 
they became most friendly. They had implicit 
faith in their wooden charms and idols, but listened 
with interest to all Livingstone told them of the 
great Father. Livingstone rested at Bambarre till 
November i and then proceeded westward as far 
as the Luamo River. He found the country sur- 
passingly beautiful and very populous, but the 
natives were for the most part unfriendly and 
suspicious, supposing Livingstone and his people 
to be like the Arabs. It was impossible to obtain 
a canoe from them for navigating the Luamo, so, 
though only nine miles from its junction with the 
Lualaba, Livingstone was forced to turn back, 
greatly to his disappointment, reaching Bambarre 
September 19, 1869. 

During his absence a large body of Ujijis, armed 
[122] 



IN THE MANYUEMA COUNTRY 

with guns, had arrived, attracted by reports of the 
cheapness of ivory. Their leader, a Suaheli named 
Katombo, urged Livingstone and Mohammed to 
join him on an expedition to the north, and as the 
former was anxious to reach the Lualaba again 
from another point, he set out once more soon after 
Christmas, in spite of another sharp attack of fever. 
After weeks of weary marches through pathless 
forests, full of rank tropical vegetation, over rough 
mountain passes and across innumerable streams and 
swamps, the party finally reached Katomba's head- 
quarters at Mamohela, February 7, 1870, almost 
completely exhausted. Here Livingstone was pros- 
trated by an attack of cholera, from which he was 
long in recovering; but Katomba was kindness 
itself, provided him with comfortable quarters, and 
cooked for him a new kind of potato called nyumbo^ 
which was said by the natives to be a wonderful 
cure for cholera. But even after he was convales- 
cent, it was out of the question to think of continu- 
ing the journey, for the rains were still heavy and 
the ground so wet and swampy that it would have 
been useless to attempt it. 

Not until June 26 was he able to make a second 
expedition in search of the Lualaba. By this time 
most of his people had deserted him and he was 
forced to set out with only three attendants — Susi, 
Chuma, and Gardner, the two former of whom were 
devoted to their beloved master and with him to 
the end. Having heard from Mohammed's people, 

[123] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

who had come from the far north, that the Lua- 
laba was not known there, he now took a south- 
westerly course; but fallen trees and flooded rivers 
made progress a continuous struggle. The villages 
were several miles apart and for the first time Liv- 
ingstone's feet failed him, both being covered with 
painful sores which refused to heal, and he had to 
limp back to Bambarre. Owing to the lack of proper 
remedies, he lay for eighty days in his hut, exercising 
patience, harrowed by the wickedness he could not 
stop, extracting information from the natives, think- 
ing about the sources of the Nile, trying to do some 
good among the people, and, last but not least, 
reading his Bible. He was out for the first time 
October lo, having just recovered from another 
attack of cholera, which was epidemic. Although 
still very weak, he was determined to continue his 
work at any cost. He was also anxious to get away 
from a place where he had suffered so much as 
soon as possible; but as a caravan was soon ex- 
pected to arrive from the coast, he decided to wait, 
hoping it might bring him letters and supplies. 

The new year passed and still he waited a long 
and weary time, but at last, February 4, ten of the 
men sent him from the coast arrived, chiefly Moham- 
medan slaves, the property of Banian. Their two 
leaders had refused to come any farther than Ujiji, 
where they were making good use of the supplies 
sent for Livingstone. These men swore that they 
had been sent by the consul. Dr. Kirk, to bring 
[124] 



IN THE MANYUEMA COUNTRY 

Livingstone back, but not to go on with him any 
farther. It was plain that they wanted more pay, 
which Livingstone was forced to grant, although 
they were already getting double what had been 
agreed upon. Undaunted, however, by all these 
difficulties and disappointments, Livingstone held 
firmly to his purpose of discovering whether the 
Lualaba really joined the Nile or, as he thought 
possible, might really prove to be the headwaters 
of the Congo. He therefore left Bambarre for the 
fourth time, February i6, and a week later arrived 
at Mamohela, where he was welcomed most heart- 
ily by his Arab friends. Here he learned positively 
the important news that the Lualaba flowed 
west-south-west, so that after all it must be the 
Congo. Anxious to investigate it for himself, he 
resumed his march March 31, and after crossing 
the Kunda River, came in sight of the long-sought 
river at Nyangwe, the farthest point westward 
that he reached in his last expedition. This was a 
great trading place for the natives, every fourth 
day a market being held there, to which the natives 
flocked from all the surrounding country. Living- 
stone had a house built for himself there and pre- 
pared to continue his explorations of the Lualaba, 
which was nearly two miles wide at this point and 
after making a huge bend to the southwest flowed 
directly north. Finding it impossible to purchase a 
boat, owing to the reports spread by the Banian men 
against him, Livingstone was obliged to change his 

[125] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

plan, and now proposed to go westward as far as 
the Lomane, up this river to Katanga, to visit the 
famous underground dwelHngs at Rua, then back 
to Nyangwe, and up Tanganyika to Ujiji. But his 
good-for-nothing new men proved such a handicap 
and made so much trouble for him in every way, 
even attempting his life on one occasion, that there 
was nothing for it but to give up and go back to 
Ujiji and try to get other men there with whom he 
would repeat the attempt to explore the river. It 
was a great trial to him, for after feeding and cloth- 
ing these men for twenty-one months, he now had 
to trudge back for forty-five days, a distance equal 
to six hundred miles, his purpose unaccomplished. 



[126] 



Chapter XVIII 

Stanley and Livingstone 
[1871-1872] 



THE journey back to Ujiji'was a wretched 
one and took three months. Much of 
the time Livingstone was too ill to travel. 
The party was in constant peril of their lives from 
marauding bands of natives and one day had no 
less than three escapes from what seemed certain 
death; but through all these trials Livingstone was 
sustained by the prospect of finding plenty of good 
food and comforts at Ujiji, where he hoped soon to 
recover his usual health. Arriving there, however, 
October 23, 1871, more dead than alive, he found to 
his despair that Shereef, the Banian leader, who had 
been left in charge of his supplies, had sold them 
all, leaving not a yard of calico out of the thousand 
that had been sent him from Zanzibar, nor a single 
string of the seven hundred pounds of beads. As if 
this were not enough, the wretch came shamelessly 
up to salute him, and on leaving declared he was 
going to pray. 

In his helplessness and abandonment Livingstone 

[127] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

was like the traveller in the parable who fell among 
thieves and was robbed of all he had. Everyor t 
seemed to have forsaken him, but the Good Samar- 
itan was near at hand. "On the morning of No- 
vember lo," he says in his journal, "Susi came 
running in breathlessly, shouting, 'An Englishman 
coming! I have seen him!' and off he dashed 
again to meet the newcomers. An American flag 
at the head of a large caravan showed the nation- 
ality of the stranger, while the bales of goods, 
baths, tents, saddles, and kettles proved he was not 
a poor Lazarus like me." 

It was Henry Morton Stanley, foreign corre- 
spondent of the New York Herald^ who had been 
sent out by the owner of that journal, James 
Gordon Bennett, at a cost of four thousand pounds, 
to search for Livingstone, and if he were no longer 
alive, to collect all possible information as to his 
death and bring home his remains. Stanley had 
started from Bagamoio on the east coast early in 
March with five caravans, but had encountered 
innumerable delays and mishaps and finally had 
been forced to make a wide detour from Unyan- 
yembe, owing to a war between the Arabs and some 
native tribes. Their arrival at Ujiji caused the 
greatest excitement. They were greeted in English, 
first by Susi, then by Chuma, Livingstone's two 
servants, and at last the doctor himself appeared. 

"As I advanced slowly toward him," says Stan- 
ley, "I noticed he looked pale and weary, had a 

[128] 



STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE 

gray beard, wore a cap with a faded gold band on 
it, had on a red-sleeved waistcoat and a pair of gray 
tweed trousers. I would have run to him and 
embraced him, only I did not know how he would 
receive me, being an Englishman, so instead, I 
walked up to him, took off my hat, and said, ^Dr. 
Livingstone, I presume?' ^Yes,' said he with a 
kind smile, lifting his cap slightly. I replaced m)| 
hat on my head, he put on his cap, and we both 
grasped hands. *I thank God, Doctor, that I have 
been permitted to see you,' said I, and he answered, 
*I feel thankful that I am here to welcome you.' 
I cannot remember what our ensuing conversation 
was. I found myself gazing at the wonderful man 
at whose side I now sat in the heart of Africa. 
Every hair of his head, every line of his face, his 
pallor, and the wearied look he wore, all told me 
what I had longed so much to know ever since 
Bennett had said to me, 'Take what you want — 
but find Livingstone.' I cannot repeat what he 
said. I was too much absorbed in the story of this 
man's work to take out my note-book, but it was a 
most marvellous history of deeds." 

Stanley, too, had wonderful things to tell Living- 
stone — who for two full years had had no word 
of any kind from Europe — of the Franco-Prussian 
War, the laying of the Atlantic cable, and many 
other events of interest. At Bagamoio he had 
found a caravan with supplies for Livingstone which 
had been sent from Zanzibar three or four months 

[129] 



' DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

before. The men in charge of it had been idling 
there all this time on the pretext that no bearers 
could be obtained. A letter-bag was also lying 
at Bagamoio, although several caravans had left 
for Ujiji in the meantime, and not till they heard 
that the consul at Zanzibar, Dr. Kirk, was coming 
to hunt in the neighborhood, did the party finally 
jtart. Overtaking them at Unyanyembe, Stanley 
took charge of Livingstone's stores, but was not 
able to bring them, having to leave some of his 
own behind. The letter-carrier, however, was com- 
pelled to accompany him to Ujiji with his bag. 
From his letters Livingstone learned that the gov- 
ernment had not forgotten him, but had voted the 
sum of one thousand pounds for his relief and was 
besides to pay him a salary. 

It was impossible now to obtain the supplies left 
at Unyanyembe on account of the disturbed state 
of the country, but Stanley was well provided with 
stores of all kinds and was delighted to supply the 
wants of the explorer. Writing to his daughter 
Agnes, Livingstone says: "He laid all he had at 
my service, divided his clothes into two heaps, and 
pressed one upon me, then his medicine chest, his 
goods, and everything he had, with true American 
generosity. To coax my appetite he often cooked 
dainty dishes for me with his own hands. The 
tears often started to my eyes at some fresh proof 
of kindness." 

The sense of sympathy and fellowship acted like 

[130] 



STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE 

a charm. Four good meals a day, instead of the 
spare and tasteless food of the country, made a 
wonderful change in his condition, and in a few 
days Livingstone was quite himself again, cheerful 
and hopeful as before. 

The two explorers made a short excursion to the 
north end of Tanganyika to ascertain whether the 
lake had an outlet there, but found that the Lusize 
River flowed into it instead of out, so the theory 
that the lake discharged itself northward proved 
to be an error. Stanley's departure was delayed 
by a severe attack of fever, but as soon as he was 
able to travel, preparations were made for the return 
journey, it having been arranged that Livingstone 
should accompany him as far as Unyanyembe to 
see about his supplies there. They set out accord- 
ingly December 27, part of the caravan proceeding 
along the shore of the lake, while the two explorers 
made the first part of the journey by water. After 
leaving the lake the march led through beautiful 
park-like valleys and over picturesque mountain 
heights, but it was now well into the rainy season, 
and almost every day the travellers were wet to 
the skin. Game was abundant and Stanley shot 
several buffaloes and zebras and one large giraffe, but 
again he was stricken with fever and became so 
weak that he had to be carried, Livingstone at this 
time seeming the stronger of the two. 

They reached Unyanyembe February 18, 1872, 
and Stanley again urged Livingstone to go home 

[131] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

with him fully to recover his health, and return 
to Africa the following year. But much as he 
longed for home and family, and much as he needed 
rest and medical care, he felt that it was his duty 
to remain until he had thoroughly explored the 
sources of the Nile, and firmly resisted all Stan- 
ley's entreaties. 

On March 14 Stanley left for Zanzibar, having 
given Livingstone a supply of calico and beads, a 
boat, a bathtub, cooking utensils, tools, books, 
paper, a medicine chest, cartridges, and shot, which, 
with the addition of four flannel shirts from Agnes 
and two pairs of boots, made him feel well equipped. 
He commissioned Stanley to send him up fifty good 
men and some additional stores from Zanzibar, 
and also entrusted him with a large folio manuscript 
volume containing his journals from January 28, 
1866, to February 20, 1872, written out with his 
usual care and neatness. It was with mutual 
regret that the two men parted, these few months 
of companionship having been a delight to both. 
Livingstone frequently declared that Stanley had 
brought him new life. He had indeed proved a 
true friend in need, while each day spent in Living- 
stone's society had added to the younger man's 
respect and admiration for the great explorer. 



[132I 



Chapti 



er 



XIX 



Livingstone s Last Days 
[1872-1873] 



AFTER Stanley left him at Unyanyembe 
there was nothing for Livingstone to do 
^ but wait for the men who were to be 
sent him from Zanzibar — a long and tedious 
time, which he improved by making maps and 
observations for his friend Maclear at Cape 
Town. The collected results of his geological 
researches in Africa were preserved in his diary, 
as well as his ideas as to the establishment of a 
mission station some twenty-five miles from the 
east coast. 

The long-expected escort at last arrived August 14. 
It consisted of fifty-seven men and boys, among 
whom were some Nassick pupils, John and Jacob 
Wainwright, who had been sent from Bombay to 
join Lieutenant Dawson's expedition. This new force 
proved most capable and trustworthy and by Aug- 
ust 25 all was ready for departure. War still being 
in progress, it was impossible to go by way of Msema, 
and Livingstone was obliged to take a longer route 

[133] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

to Tanganyika. The heat was terrific and frequent 
delays were caused by sickness among the men. 
Livingstone's old intestinal trouble appeared again 
in a serious form, but he went on as soon as he was 
able, sometimes riding on a donkey, sometimes on 
foot, until on October 8 he once more came in sight 
of the dark green waters of Tanganyika. Then came 
a difficult and exhausting march along the moun- 
tainous eastern shore to the southern end, where, 
rounding an arm of the lake and crossing the Aisy 
River, he found himself once more opposite the vil- 
lage of Pambete, whence he had set out for Lake 
Moero five years before. As far as the sources of 
the Lofu, his route was now the same as then, but 
at Chiwe's village he circled to the westward and 
travelled south through the Urungu and Lunda 
regions. 

Crossing the Kalongosi December i8, he kept on 
his course due south, and a month later approached 
the wilderness of swollen streams and morasses 
surrounding Bangweolo. It was now the height of 
the rainy season. The weather grew worse daily, 
while the innumerable swamps and rivers to be 
forded made progress a continual struggle. The 
natives were unfriendly and shut themselves up in 
their stockade villages at the approach of the trav- 
ellers, refusing to sell them food and misleading 
them whenever they could. "This is the worse 
for us,'' says Livingstone, *'as it is impossible to 
take any observations as to our position, for it 

[134] 



LIVINGSTONE'S LAST DAYS 

either drizzles or pours in torrents day and night. 
There is not an hour that we do not have to 
cross a dozen streams, sometimes chin deep, with 
wide marshes on both sides, and full of elephant 
holes." He was usually carried across these, seated 
on the shoulders of one of his servants, Susi or 
Chuma. 

Livingstone intended to cross the Chambeze 
where it empties into Bangweolo and follow on 
around the southern end of the lake, but his guides 
were untrustworthy, and after taking him to the 
north side, abandoned him there. After wandering 
about for some time in this uninhabited region he 
finally succeeded in making his way back to the 
Chambeze and crossing it; but here, too, there was 
nothing to be seen but a vast expanse of water, 
with huge ant hills rising from it here and there 
like islands. 

"Circumstances would seem in favor of these 
being the sources of the Nile," he writes in his jour- 
nal; from which it would appear that he was still 
clinging to this theory. 

Gradually the sky cleared and the water fell 
sufficiently for the journey to be continued to the 
south side of the lake, but the terrible fatigues and 
exposures of this month's march through swamps 
and sponges, with privations and anxieties of all 
sorts, proved too much even for Livingstone's 
iron constitution. In the beginning of April the 
hemorrhages from which he had been suffering 

[135] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

grew worse and his weakness was pitiful, but 
he still longed for strength to finish his work. 
Even yet the old passion for natural history 
was strong. The water-plants that abounded 
everywhere; the caterpillars that after eating the 
plants ate one another and were such clumsy 
swimmers; the fish with the hook-shaped lower 
jaw that enabled them to feed as they skimmed 
past the plants; the morning summons of the 
cocks and turtle-doves; the weird scream of the 
fish-hawk — all engaged his attention. Observa- 
tions were still taken regularly and the Sunday 
services held as usual. 

A change for the worse occurred April 21. In a 
shaky hand he wrote: ''Tried to ride, but was 
forced to lie down and they carried me back to the 
village exhausted." A kitanda or palanquin was 
hastily constructed in which he could lie stretched 
out on a bed of grass, and in this way the journey 
southward was continued in order to reach a dryer 
region as soon as possible. The natives were friendly 
and willingly supplied them with food, but Living- 
stone longed in vain for milk. There were no goats 
in this part of the country and unfortunately a case 
of condensed milk had been left behind at Unyan- 
yembe. On the twenty-seventh he was apparently 
near the end, and scrawled in his journal the last 
words he ever wrote: "Knocked up quite and remain 
to recover — sent to buy milch goats. We are on 
the banks of R. Molilamo." 

[136] 



LIVINGSTONE'S LAST DAYS 

It would appear frotn this that Livingstone had 
no idea of his real condition, and in fact the kind of 
malarial poisoning to which his illness was due 
reduces its victims to a state of such weakness and 
lethargy that they feel no apprehension of death. 
The twenty-ninth of April was the last day of his 
travels. In the morning he directed Susi to take 
down the side of the hut that the kitanda might be 
brought in, as he was quite unable to walk to it 
and the door was too small to admit it. Then came 
the crossing of the Molilamo and a march through 
swamps to the village of Chitamba in Ilala, whither 
Susi had hastened in advance to have a hut built 
for his beloved master. The motion of the litter 
caused Livingstone great pain and weakness, and 
whenever they came to anything like a dry spot 
he would beg them to set him down. Arrived at 
Chitambo's he was laid on a rough bed in the 
hut with a chest beside it to hold his medicines 
and other articles, and there he spent the next day 
undisturbed. 

During the night of May i Livingstone sent twice 
for Susi, once to ask the cause of some outcry 
and again towards midnight to help him prepare 
a remedy. About four o'clock in the morning 
Chuma, who lay at his door, called for Susi in 
alarm, fearing something was wrong. On entering 
the room they saw him by the candlelight not in 
bed, but kneeling beside it, with his head buried 
in his hands upon the pillow. The sad truth was 

[137] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

soon discovered: he had gone on his last journey 
without a single attendant, but he had died in 
the act of prayer, in the reverential attitude about 
which he was always so particular, commending his 
beloved Africa with all her wrongs to the Avenger 
of the oppressed. 

Before daybreak the sad news was made known 
to all the members of the party. Their behavior 
in this difficult situation, left without a leader and 
so far from home, did equal credit to their head and 
heart. As soon as it was light Livingstone's chests 
were opened and a careful inventory of their con- 
tents made by Jacob Wainwright, who knew how 
to write. It was unanimously agreed that their 
master's remains should be carried back to Zanzi- 
bar, and Susi and Chuma, his personal attendants 
for many years, were chosen as leaders of the com- 
pany. Arrangements were made at once for em- 
balming the body. The heart and other organs 
were removed and buried under a Moala tree 
and the body dried for fourteen days in the sun. 
It was then wrapped in calico and enclosed in a 
cylindrical piece of bark from a Myonga tree, after 
which it was sewn up in sail-cloth, covered with 
tar, and lashed to a pole so it could be carried by 
two men. On the tree under which the heart was 
buried, Wainwright carved Livingstone's name and 
the date of his death, and Chitambo was charged 
to keep the grass cleared away from about it, 
as well as from the two posts with a cross piece 

I138] 




L 



IVINGSTONFS DEATH 



LIVINGSTONE'S LAST DAYS 

erected to mark the spot where the body had 
rested. 

It was a long and perilous journey, fully three 
hundred miles from Bangweolo to the coast, but 
under the careful guidance of Susi and Chuma, 
the mournful little party reached Bagamoio safely 
in February, 1874. Here Livingstone's remains 
were delivered to the captain of an English cruiser, 
to be taken to Zanzibar, and thus these faithful 
servants' task ended. It is entirely owing to their 
care and perseverance, also, that authentic accounts 
of Livingstone's death, as well as many valuable 
notes and observations, reached England safely. 
From Zanzibar the body was taken by way of Aden 
and Alexandria to Southampton, whence it was 
conveyed to London by special train and depos- 
ited in the rooms of the Geographical Society. It 
was examined by several medical friends of Living- 
stone's and positively identified by the false joint 
in the left arm, where it had been broken by the 
lion, as well as by other marks. 

The burial took place April 18, 1874, ^^ West- 
minster Abbey, where a vast throng had assembled 
to pay the last tribute of respect to the great explorer. 
Following the coffin, on which rested a magnificent 
wreath sent by the Queen, were Livingstone's two 
sons and his father-in-law. Dr. Moffat, with many 
old friends and admirers. The black marble slab 
which marks his last resting place bears in golden 
letters the following inscription: 

[139] 



DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

BROUGHT BY FAITHFUL HANDS 

OVER LAND AND SEA 

HERE RESTS 

DAVID LIVINGSTONE 

MISSIONARY, TRAVELLER, PHILANTHROPIST 

BORN MARCH 1 9, 1813 

AT BLANTYRE, LANARKSHIRE 

DIED MAY 4,^ 1873 

AT CHITAMBO'S VILLAGE, ILALA 

For thirty years his life was spent in an unwearied effort 
to evangelize the native races, to explore the undis- 
covered secrets, and abolish the desolating slave 
trade of Central Africa, and where, with his 
last words, he wrote . 

"All I can say In my solitude is, may Heaven's rich 

blessing come down on everyone — American, 

English, Turk — who will help to heal this 

open sore of the world" 

Livingstone's death sent a thrill of sorrow through- 
out the civilized world, and few men have been 
so universally deplored, as few have combined so 
rarely the qualities of a great scientist and explorer 
with those of an ardent missionary and philanthro- 
pist. He travelled twenty-nine thousand miles 
in Africa and added about a million square miles 
to the known portion of the globe. He startled 
Europe with the news that what had always been 

^ In the "last Journals," the date is May i, on the stone May 4. 
The attendants could not definitely determine the day. 

[ 140 ] 



LIVINGSTONE'S LAST DAYS 

supposed a desert waste in the heart of Africa was 
in reality a vast, well-watered, and fertile central 
basin, flanked by high ridges on the east and west. 
He discovered Lakes 'Ngami, Shirwa, Nyassa, 
Moero, and Bangweolo, the upper Zambesi, and 
many other rivers. He was the first European to 
visit and describe the wonderful Victoria Falls, to 
traverse the whole length of Tanganyika and give 
its true location.) He traversed in much pain and 
sorrow the vast watershed near Lake Bangweolo, 
and, through no fault of his own, just missed the 
information that would have set at rest all his sur- 
mises about the sources of the Nile. His discov- 
eries and observations were never mere guesses or 
vague descriptions, but were made with such care 
and precision that he remains unsurpassed as a 
scientific explorer, while his constant study of the 
geology, botany, and zoology of Africa has contrib- 
uted a wealth of most interesting information. 

In his intercourse with the natives nothing 
escaped his sharp eye. No man ever understood 
better how to deal with them or to gain their respect 
and confidence. His never-failing kindness and 
gentleness, his integrity and purity of character 
endeared him to all with whom he came in contact, 
while his unceasing efforts to benefit and improve 
the African race make the life of David Livingstone 
a wonderful example of self-sacrificing devotion to a 
noble cause. 

[141] 



TiwtnW 



The following is a chronological statement of the more 
important events in Livingstone's life: 

1813 Born at Blantyre, Scotland. 

1840-49 Medical Missionary in South Africa. 

1 849 Discovered Lake 'Ngami. 

1851-54 Explored the Zambesi and Kuanze Basins. 

1856 Discovered Victoria Falls. 

1859 Expedition to Lake Nyassa and Discovery of 
Lake Shirwa. 

1866 Explored the Rovuma Valley. 

1867 Explored the Chambesi. 
1867-68 Explored Lake Tanganyika. 

1869 At Ujiji. 

1 87 1 Relieved by Stanley. 

1872 Parted with Stanley. 

1873 Died. 

1874 Burial in Westminster Abbey, 



[143] 



ofP 25 \2n 



